Fracture
by morning's-broken-angel
Summary: Souls, like bones, must be broken and reset when they heal badly. Zuko must realize that his actions will have a greater impact than he could have ever imagined, and Katara will discover that the world is far from black and white, good and evil. [Zutara]
1. Chapter 1

Full Summary: (Zutara) As the eclipse approaches, the aftershocks of the fall of Ba Sing Se reverberate throughout the world, changing mindsets and destinies.

Zuko is forced to confront his demons and examine the long-term impacts of his actions- now he must decide how to proceed. Iroh makes a bargain for his soul in an attempt to change someone's fate. Azula is about to discover that an alliance and a friendship are not always as easy to dominate and control as they seem. Aang's recovery forces the group to split as one party journeys to the Eastern Air Temple, while the other prepares for their attack on the Fire Nation during the eclipse. Katara lets her desire for revenge override her common sense, and she almost pays for it with her life.

Life's paths are infinite, and they wind about and intersect at random, giving second chances long after the traveler stops deserving them. Zuko's journey teaches him that who he is and what he can become are far more than he ever dreamed of.

A/N: Well, the interminable wait for Season Three has finally driven me to do it- I've given in to the insanity of writing my first Avatar fic. I've got unfinished HP fics (and likely their readers) glaring balefully at this, saying, "What are you doing! Go finish the story I was reading, you evil woman!" To them, I say: I am so, so sorry, but I haven't wanted to write anything at all for months now, so when an Avatar muse took root, I followed it happily.

* * *

**Fracture**

* * *

"This is getting tiresome, don't you think? Just tell me where the Avatar is." 

Katara glared at the occupant of the chair. "Like I'm going to do that," she snorted.

"I'd reconsider if I were you," came the soft reply. "This is the last time I'm going to ask you so nicely. Where are the rest of them? Where's the little Avatar?"

"He's dead," she said with a bitter laugh. "I came here to avenge that death. I don't know where the others are."

A hand waved from the chair and two burly men came forward with manacles and a length of chain. "He's not dead. The Fire Sages have confirmed that for me." The next words were as pleasant as if the two were friends. "Well, don't say I didn't try polite conversation. I guess some old-fashioned persuasion might be in order."

Braid flapping, Katara aimed a well-placed kick at one man and dodged the seeking hands of the other as she made a dash for the window, but she was propelled to the ground as the weight of a knee settled on her back. "I'm very creative," her assailant whispered in her ear. "I'm sure we'll find a method of loosening that tongue of yours."

Katara smiled grimly into the stone floor. "I'll die first," she whispered back.

* * *

"How does it feel to be welcomed home after all these years, brother?" Azula asked with a vicious smile. "Your charge of treason has been lifted. Father must have been rather pleased with you." 

Zuko stood at the fireplace in his sister's sitting room, watching the flames and schooling his expression into one of implacable neutrality. "Father has not yet had time to speak with me," he replied evenly.

Azula gave a sharp laugh as she swept behind him to throw herself into a chair. "Really? That's terrible. When I go see him for our daily tea, I'll make sure to remind him," she said with a too-innocent smile as she studied him carefully.

Forcing his muscles to stay relaxed, Zuko turned to his sister, catching the predatory look in her eyes before she slipped on a mask of familial concern. "And that hair, Zuko," she said with a wave, "is rather… flattering. It makes you look more boyish. Slicing off your dragon tail must have made upkeep so much easier." She paused thoughtfully. "Unless, of course, it was to hide your shame," she added, her eyes flicking to his scar.

He shrugged. "It's hair, Azula," Zuko responded flatly, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly at her subtle barbs. Azula had mastered the courtly art of flattering insults and dagger-like compliments before she could write. "It's not the end of the world."

"Oh!" she gasped, tapping a finger against her cheek as if she had just remembered something important. "We nearly caught the Avatar, did I tell you?" The look in her eyes belied the sweet tone. "A shame he slipped through my fingers, but…" She trailed off, looking across the room with a malicious smile. "At least I have something to amuse me until he surfaces."

Zuko watched silently as Azula clenched her fists and sprang to her feet, the light of the flames sliding over her face and giving her a sinister quality that he privately thought was unnecessary. His sister was born sinister. "Taken up a hobby, have we?"

She turned her gaze from the far side of the room and gave him a distant smile. "Perfecting one, actually. Now, Zuko, I have things to do. Why don't you run off and be a good little prince."

Taking a calming breath, he nodded sharply. "As always, our visit was enlightening." Zuko looked at his sister out of the corner of his eye, but she was already disappearing into a door across the room. He sighed. Visiting his sister was like dancing with a snake- it required every ounce of self-control he had, yet he always seemed to leave with a little more of her poison coursing through his blood.

* * *

Zuko stared dully at the wall before sinking to his knees. Five days now- five days of no sleep, no rest from the constant torment of the memory of his uncle's accusing gaze sliding from Zuko's face. 

The nightmares had only come once he'd returned to the Fire Nation palace. It was as if his demons had scouted ahead, allowing him time to breath easily and think himself safe before they tightened the noose around his neck. He'd woken with a scream and soaked in sweat the first night he was back in his old room, but he'd foolishly thought the dreams would pass. They did not.

Each night he drilled or read until his eyes sagged and his body screamed in exhaustion, but his mattress was no sanctuary. It offered only the nightmares that left him more exhausted than before he had lain down.

Lighting his meditation candles, Zuko studied the flames with detachment. The joy of fire no longer sang in his blood- it just bubbled in his stomach like a bad meal that wouldn't settle, and he acknowledged silently that he would surely succumb to madness soon if he didn't get some actual sleep. "If only I could," he sighed to the empty room. Meditation had become his only refuge, the one thing that allowed him a measure of calmness and let him relax enough for his body to gain some small amount of rest.

Arranging himself on his meditation mat, he closed his eyes and focused on feeling the flames of the candles before him. The measured breathing necessary for meditation came to him easily after so many years of perfecting this particular art.

_In. Hold, two, three, four, five. Out. _

Zuko tied his breathing to the five small flames, pulling their energy in on each inhale and returning it from his chi with each exhale.

_In. Hold, two, three, four, five. Out._

He released his turmoil and concentrated on relaxing each muscle in turn, from his toes up to his face.

_In. Hold, two, three, four, five. Out._

When his body had become relaxed and supple and his mind had quieted, Zuko thought, _Who am I? What do I want?_

Even the detached calm of a meditative state didn't provide a perfect window to his soul. The answers he searched for were elusive and cloaked in the shadows of self-doubt. No trance, no breathing, no set amount of time would mark this revelation, only true self-examination.

_Who am I?_

An early memory of his mother pulled him down through the empty darkness of his mind.

_"Zuko, you will be a fine man someday. Your compassion is a mark of greatness."_

He let the image wash over him, accepting it and examining it as objectively as possible. When it began to fade at the edges, he let it pass so that the next could swim up to replace it.

His sister toddled forward, just learning to walk, and tugged the hem of his tunic as he played with his toys.

_"Zuzu, I too. I too!" _When he handed her his wooden soldier, she smiled._ "My Zuzu."_

Uncle Iroh and Lu Ten admired him as he proudly showed off his first set of armor.

_"You should be proud, Prince Zuko; you have earned the right to wear that armor through dedication and hard work. Those are very good traits to have."_

His father studied him coldly.

_"Prince Zuko, you have disgraced me, this family and yourself. You are banished from the royal family and the Fire Nation. Return without the Avatar upon pain of death."_

Zuko stood at the stern of a ship with Uncle Iroh beside him and a heavy bandage covering his face.

_"Time will help you better understand, Zuko. It may feel like the world is ending now, but things are not always as they seem."_

He stood facing a huddled group of frightened women at the South Pole, his gut wrenching with elation and fear. Pulling the oldest of them forward threateningly, he held her as if he would make an example of her.

_"Where is he? Where's the Avatar?"_

Zhao faced him in the dimly-lit tent.

_"You're nothing but a banished prince. No home, no throne, no honor."_

He reined the stolen ostrich-horse around in front of his uncle.

_"They're about to show us a little more kindness."_

Jin sweetly pressed her lips to his own, sending a little electric shock singing around his mouth, and he returned the kiss -his first- without thinking.

_"It's complicated."_

He stared solemnly at the waterbender as she licked her lips nervously and raised a hand slowly to his scarred cheek.

_"I don't know if it will work, but I could try."_

He stumbled to his feet in the catacombs and saw his sister and the waterbender locked in battle. He ignited daggers in his hands and swung them out into whips so similar to the waterbender's favored move and lashed out, careful not to actually hit her body.

_"I thought you had changed!"_

The stench of charred flesh hung in the air as the waterbender clutched the Avatar's limp body and propelled them up and out of the cave. Even at a hundred paces, when her eyes caught his for the briefest moment, he could see the tears threatening to crash over her lashes and the anguished betrayal. When he blinked, the moment had passed, and he turned to face his now-unresisting uncle. The very same look was in his eyes as the waterbender's, and like her, he refused to hold Zuko's gaze.

_"Well done, Zuko. Perhaps you're not a complete loss after all, brother."_

He stood at the bow of the ship, his sister at his side, as the Fire Nation capital came into view.

_"Beautiful, isn't it? Father will be delighted- I've conquered Ba Sing Se, gained the Dai Li's loyalty, captured our traitorous uncle and incapacitated the Avatar. Yes, he'll be pleased. Oh, and we can't forget you, can we? He's getting his son back, too."_

His mother's face, pinched with worry, floated up again. She was wearing the same clothes as the last night he saw her, but she looked much older, careworn and prematurely aged.

_"Never forget who you are, Zuko."_

No image followed. No more voices floated through his mind, only a deafening silence that stretched interminably. Zuko opened his eyes and watched the candles' flames pulse gently. He thought about everything he had seen and a thousand more memories he had not.

_I am Prince Zuko, rightful heir to the Fire Nation throne. I am Zuzu, a little boy that is afraid of the monster wearing the skin of my sister and afraid that the same bad blood courses through me. I am Li, a boy who's not afraid of a life of hard work and humble joys. I am the Blue Spirit, savior and thief. I am Junior, a sour, petty teenager. _

_I am good, compassionate and I defend those that need defending. I am bad, dishonest and capable of great cruelty to those that show me kindness. I am confused, afraid, and at conflict with myself and my warring desires. I covet the throne and the pleasures I think I am entitled to. _

Zuko stood slowly, letting the blood flow back into his legs. He smiled as a feeling he had not known in weeks stole over him. Peace.

_I am Zuko, and I am strong enough, determined enough, to finally choose my own path._

* * *

A/N: I am well aware that this prologue has no Zuko/Katara interaction whatsoever, but it was intentional. This story is a little more epic than I tend to write, so I've decided to let the prologue introduce several elements that weigh heavily in the fic: What Katara's reaction to Aang almost being killed would be, what the psychological impact of betraying Iroh would be on Zuko, and how the dynamics of Azula's relationship with her brother are likely far less cut and dried than they seem. 

Do you like it? New fandom and all, so show me that you Avatar fans are as generous with the reviews as the HP fans. Next chapter up tomorrow!


	2. Chapter 2

Ty Lee frowned as she studied the silent boy across from her. He was as sullen as ever and terse in his responses when he bothered to make any at all, but he still seemed somehow different.

Mai sighed and dropped her elbows on the table. "Azula, this is _boring_. I could go do absolutely nothing in New Ozai with my family. I thought we'd be seeing some action by now." She cut her pale eyes at Zuko. "What do you think, Zuko? You know the Avatar's little group better than any of us."

"Getting beaten and eluded by a child over and over again hardly counts as a platform for knowing his patterns, Mai," Azula said with a nasty smile. "I really don't think Zuko will be much help in planning the Avatar's welcome." Her eyes landed on him with burning intensity. "Will you, Zuzu?"

Ty Lee sat up straighter. "That's it!" she cried as Zuko stared at the table silently. He hadn't moved, or even given any indication that he heard the conversation going on around him, but when Azula called him 'Zuzu', his aura flared.

"That's what?" Azula and Mai asked together, frowning at one another for daring to do something as childish as speak in tandem.

Ty Lee toyed with the end of her braid. For some reason, she didn't feel like telling her friends about the change in Zuko's aura. "Oh, I was just thinking up a new tumbling routine," she lied with a lopsided grin. "I was trying to decide if a flip-flop whipback would be better or a double full, but I think a layout into a punch front would be perfect!"

She gestured at her friends, whose expressions had subsided into looks of utter disinterest. "You know, this way I change direction. That's much more interesting, don't you think?"

Mai rolled her eyes. "Sure, Ty Lee. That's riveting."

As everyone returned to picking at their food, Ty Lee covertly studied Zuko from underneath her lashes.

His aura, especially since Ba Sing Se, had been more unstable than anyone's she'd ever seen. It swirled in a jumble of bright colors that vied for dominance -turquoise, orange, red, brown, grey, sulfur yellow, white- they all flared and retreated in accordance with his mood. She'd finally stopped looking at his aura altogether; it made her feel like that time she'd swallowed one of the mushrooms the circus' psychic kept under her bed.

"What?" Zuko asked quietly, the acrobat's eyes feeling like they were trying to burn a hole in his forehead.

She bit her lip for a moment. No, it was better to keep this to herself, at least for now. Ty Lee pasted on one of her trademark loopy smiles and hid behind the sunny, vapid persona she'd perfected ages ago. "You've got a fire flake on your chin," she said. "It looks like a little mole-gnat dancing on your face."

He grunted and wiped his face before shoving to his feet. "I'm going to drill," Zuko announced.

"Yes, do that," Azula replied imperiously. "Agni knows you could use the practice."

His aura flared around him again, showing Ty Lee something she hadn't seen before. His aura hadn't just stabilized, it had changed in a very fundamental way. The churning mash of colors at the center was gone, and a solid green had begun to spread in its place, though the other colors still threaded through it and licked along the edges.

_Interesting, very interesting, _she thought as she followed him out of the dining room with her eyes.

* * *

Katara tugged at the chain holding her wrists above her head and cursed loudly. The sweat streamed down her throat in tiny rivulets, but her hands had been bound palms together to prevent her from bending the liquid as it left her body.

"Let me out!" she shouted, her voice hoarse. She'd been yelling and struggling for a long time, but no one had come in to check on her for several hours now, and she thought that she'd be left there for several more before the next round of interrogation began.

She rattled the chains again and tried to dislodge them from the ceiling, but the links held fast. Her only comfort in the stifling heat of the room was the knowledge that Aang and the others were safe from the Fire Nation. For now. She didn't expect Sokka and Toph back for another week, so she didn't have to worry about them blundering in for a rescue attempt.

Katara grinned. Oh yes, she'd been caught trying to sneak into the palace gardens, but she was smarter than her captor gave her credit for. There'd be no information gained from this, and the eclipse would come and go before the others thought to come look for her. If she died, she'd die smiling, knowing that the planned attack meant Azula would be swiftly following her to the Spirit World.

"That bitch will pay with her life," she snarled softly. "I swear it."

* * *

Sokka dropped the length of rope and slumped against the rail of the ship. "Ungh," he groaned, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Toph chuckled from where she lounged atop a pile of crates. "Looks like fun," she smirked.

"Yeah, well, maybe you'd like to lend a hand or something," Sokka said around the waterskin he was gulping from.

"I'd love to, Meathead, but I'm pretty useless on a ship in water. Besides, you said it before- this is men's work." She grinned devilishly. "I wouldn't want to ruin your manly pleasure."

Grimacing, he threw the waterskin at her. "Shut up, Toph."

Hakoda watched the exchange with a smile. "I know it's not much fun, but if we want to have everyone in position for the eclipse, we need to make sure the ships are in peak condition." He glanced out across the water to where the other boats were making similar repairs. "We're lucky to have found this cove at all, Sokka. Otherwise, we'd be doing this in open water, and trust me, that's even less fun."

"I know, I know," Sokka sighed. "It's just that I have this feeling that Katara needs us right now."

"Your sister is a capable young woman," his father said. "I'm sure she's doing her part just fine."

"Yeah," Toph added. "It's not like setting up a series of campsites in the middle of nowhere is that difficult. Sugar Queen has collecting firewood and berries down to a science by now."

"What if she's been captured or something?" Sokka persisted. "There's no one there to help her."

The blind earthbender snorted. "Captured by what? We were with her for an entire week and we didn't even see a human footprint out there, let alone anyone that would pose a threat to a master waterbender. You need to remember that she's not six years old."

"I'm sure Toph is right," Hakoda said with a smile as he coiled up the rope Sokka had dropped. "She's miles away from the capital and has plenty of supplies to use until you two go back to meet her. Let's just finish getting things here set to rights as fast as we can; then you can go back and check on her earlier than you thought. Deal?"

Sokka nodded glumly. His gut was still telling him that something was wrong. "Deal," he replied as he heaved himself to his feet.

* * *

Zuko eyed his bed with distrust. Six days of no sleep now, and he was beginning to lose his grip on reality. The skin near his good eye had turned a bruised purple and drawn so taut that blinking felt like someone was slicing the flesh from his face. He didn't need a mirror to tell him that his cheeks had hollowed and his face appeared as gaunt as a cadaver's.

He spent the days in a haze, feeling feverish and light-headed, but every night was the same. Nightmares. Always the nightmares, and they were far worse than the now-pleasant floating feeling of sleep deprivation. He had begun to hallucinate, seeing things in corners and hearing conversations where there were none.

His uncle's voice had begun to whisper to him at odd times, like when he ate or when a guard saluted. He had gaped in astonishment when his sister swept him into a hug in the hallway today, only to blink and find himself with his hands wrapped around empty space and a serving maid staring at him.

"Come, Zuko," his bed whispered. "Come to me."

He backed away, running his hands along the smooth stone wall to anchor himself to reality. "I'm hearing things," he told himself firmly. "It's all in my head."

"Come to me willingly, little prince, or I will force your hand," it whispered menacingly, even as his vision began to blur. "You cannot avoid me any longer."

Zuko's knees gave out and he huddled on the floor stubbornly. "No," he snarled. "I can't sleep. I won't relive those nightmares again."

The last thing he saw before his eyelids drooped shut was the Fire Nation pennant over his bed. Then, his world fell into blackness.

* * *

Kuei smiled as he carried the bowl of scented water back to his patient. "Bosco, have you been protecting our ward?" he asked as he stepped into the great hall they were using as a shelter.

"Your bear is remarkably at peace," the shriveled old man said from the window he faced. "He would be very good at meditation, I think."

Kuei nodded. "I thought Bosco would be good for the Avatar. He knows how to sit and enjoy the quiet sometimes, and I think that's what Aang needs now."

Guru Pathik nodded and took the water from the former Earth King's hands. He dipped a cloth in the liquid and began to swipe the cloth gently over the still face of the young Avatar. "Peace is what he needs most. You were most wise to bring him here."

Kuei folded his legs underneath him and reached for the soupy mixture they'd been feeding Aang. As he spooned some into the little monk's mouth, he sighed. "I just wish he'd wake up."

"He'll wake when he's ready," the guru said as he continued to wipe Aang down. "I think he'll come back soon. The Avatar knows that his rest, however much it is needed, must take a backseat to the world's needs. If the approaching eclipse is a turning point, then he will be ready. I expect he'll wake up any day now."

Petting Bosco's coarse fur absently, Kuei nodded. He hadn't wanted to be sent off alone with the comatose Avatar and his pets, but the Avatar's friends were right. They had jobs to do, things to set in motion before the eclipse arrived, and Aang's condition made him more of a liability than an asset. He also knew that he and Bosco were liabilities as well- even with Sokka's assurance that the sky bison would take them exactly where they need to go, Kuei still was at a loss when they arrived. Thankfully, this wizened old man had appeared the same day and introduced himself as the very person he was searching for. All he had to do now was continue to care for Aang until he woke up.

The guru studied the dethroned Earth King as he sponged more water across the Avatar's chest. The man, while pleasant and calm, was like a child- he would follow directions to the letter, but he had no initiative. Pathik wondered how he would react when the Avatar returned from his recuperative state and wanted to fly immediately back into action. He had a sneaking suspicion the man and his bear would be his guests here awhile longer when Aang departed. _As it goes_, he thought serenely. _I suppose company wouldn't be too terrible a burden._

* * *

Azula sat docilely as the generals offered her father opinions and plans for a final multi-pronged assault on the rest of the world's defenses. Since her triumphant return from Ba Sing Se, she'd been allowed in here for every meeting, and it was immensely satisfying to see the dour, disapproving expressions of the ineffective old men surrounding her.

General Cheng eyed the girl child sitting in their midst with distaste. She'd usurped the council's rightful place as the Fire Lord's most effective tool, and that did not sit well with him at all. He'd sacrificed thirty-seven years and two sons to gain his position as one of the Fire Lord's advisors, and he wouldn't hand it over so easily.

Yes, the Fire Lord's daughter was cunning and ruthless, he'd give her that, but her arrogance would be her downfall. Catching her tiny smirk as one of his colleagues suggested using Ba Sing Se as a staging location, Cheng turned his gaze to the Fire Lord. Ozai was sitting behind the Screen of Eternal Flame, as usual, but his head was turned towards his daughter.

Azula noticed General Cheng's fleeting glances long before he thought she did. She knew the old man was a powerful firebender and a superior strategist, and it was no great leap of logic to realize that he meant to oust her from her new favored position at the earliest opportunity. _Perhaps it would be better to make use of his abilities than to break him down_, she thought.

When the Fire Lord had concluded the strategy session, Azula approached the old general with a bowed head and deferential air. "General Cheng, I would request a moment of your time when you would give it. I find myself in need of a great tactician to explain something to me, and you are one of the best this nation has to offer."

Cheng scowled at the girl's blatant flattery. "Perhaps another time, Princess Azula. I have things to see to."

She bowed. "Of course." Looking up from under her lashes, she added, "But I had hoped I could count on your assistance. It would be a shame to have to ally myself with another, lesser advisor. After all, the future Fire Lady has need of a trusted advisor."

Cheng studied the impertinent girl closely. "Your brother's banishment has been rescinded. He, not you, will be-"

Azula smiled prettily as she cut the doddering old fool off. "My brother is no longer banished, but Father never re-designated him as heir. It is the Fire Lord's wish that his successor be capable of ruling the world, and we all know Zuko is not and never will be. _I_ am still heir to the throne."

The old man straightened beneath the shoulder plate of his armor. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage. "I would be honored to assist the Crown Princess and future Fire Lady if she has need of a trusted advisor."

"Good," Azula cooed, turning to lead him down the hallway. "After all, one never knows when he or she will be called upon to aid their country. Agni forbid, but should Father have a less than favorable outcome with the Avatar, then a strong ruler needs to be ready to take his place."

Cheng's eyes gleamed as he followed the slender princess. "Yes indeed, serving one's country is a task of the utmost importance. Even the strongest ruler needs a right hand to help wield power."

* * *

"Uncle."

He could hear the old man's bulk shift in a darkened corner of the cell, but there was no response. Zuko sighed. He'd come every day to see him, but Iroh refused to acknowledge him in any way. He tried again.

"Uncle, I know you can hear me," Zuko said, hearing and despising the note of desperation that crept into his voice. Swallowing hard, he laid his forehead against the cold metal of the door. "Please," he whispered. "I'm sorry, but I had to. The Fire Nation is my home. Father and Azula are my family. My honor. I had to-"

A hand connected fiercely with the door, the sound clanging sharply in his ears. "Silence, Zuko!" his uncle hissed. "You must take responsibility for your choices! Yes, they are your family, but so am I. When you owe loyalty to two sides, there is never a conclusion. You did nothing but betray yourself, you foolish boy!"

Zuko recoiled. "My honor, my birthright and my throne are once again my own!" he shot back. "It was the only choice I had."

"No, Zuko," Iroh replied, the heaviness of his voice echoing in the dank cell. "You did not regain your honor- you threw it away. I am… ashamed of you. And myself," he added softly. "I have failed you badly."

"The Avatar-" Zuko said quickly, hoping to make his uncle realize that the Avatar was the root of their issues.

"This is not about the Avatar," Iroh sighed, cutting him off. "This is about deciding what type of man you will become, Zuko, and I failed you in that. Your choice has left you on one path- the man without honor does not deserve his birthright, and indeed, you will not have it. Your destiny is marching towards you with swords drawn, Zuko, but you do not choose to see it."

Zuko scowled darkly. "You make no sense, Uncle. I am home. My crimes against the Fire Nation have been dismissed and my honor restored. When Father passes, I will be Fire Lord. How am I blind to that destiny?"

A broken laugh rasped back at him, the despair making it a mockery of what laughter should be. "You think the throne is your destiny?"

"I am the heir," he replied in confusion. "Of course."

"But you are not the only heir, are you, Zuko?" Iroh said gently. "There is your sister."

"Azula is second-born. I am heir," he said stubbornly. "She'll be given a position of immense power, but the throne is mine."

"You are far more generous than your sister," Iroh said, his voice tightly coiled with anger. "Zuko, you are so naïve for one that has journeyed so far." He spit out the next words in a hard tone that Zuko had never heard before in all their trials together. "You'll never live to see the throne. Azula will have killed you long before that day approaches- if my brother does not first take it into his head to sacrifice you to Agni before the final battle with the Avatar. Your family are vipers, nephew, and they twine about your neck while you smile and bask in your returned 'honor'."

Zuko grimaced and bit back the harsh denial that sprang to his lips. His uncle was neither a liar nor a manipulator when it came to such matters as life and honor. He considered the words, weighing their truth in his mind.

Iroh's voice softened and fell away like a whisper in a windstorm. "Zuko," he sighed, his heart wrenching as badly as it did when he prayed for Lu Ten. "I am an old man, and death no longer frightens me. Some days I welcome its eventual arrival, but the day I meet Agni, I do not wish to look past him to see your face."

A lump rose in Zuko's throat, and he unknowingly laid his palm against the door in supplication. "I will sit on the Fire Throne, and I will rule our people," he said, his voice strong with conviction, "regardless of who stands in the way. It is mine. Azula will not have it." He stumbled for a moment, the thoughts in his head almost unbearable. "She does not deserve it, and I will keep it from her."

"Do you know what you are saying, Zuko?" Iroh prodded quietly. "Do you know what price an oath like that will exact?"

"Her death," he intoned quietly. "My sister must die at my hands if I am to take the throne."

"And your father?" his uncle continued. "Do you think he will stand idly by and let you challenge his pride and joy, his favored child?"

"Father," Zuko breathed, mind racing through so many possibilities, but they all ended with the same conclusion: he was no match for the Fire Lord. He would be struck dead as easily as a leaf was plucked from the vine. "I don't know, Uncle," he finally sighed. "Even if I miraculously manage to become adept enough to defeat Azula, I'll never be strong enough to beat my father."

"Do not hand away a victory so easily, Zuko," Iroh replied, steel buttressing his words. "There is strength and conviction and willpower in you that your father does not possess. Sometimes, raw talent is not enough- you must desire the result strongly enough to see yourself through to the conclusion, regardless of the consequences. It is heart, nephew, heart that picks you up when you should stay down. Azula does not have that, and neither does your father."

Zuko pressed his forehead harder against the cool door. "But heart won't defeat the Fire Lord, Uncle; it will only gain me a slower death."

"I don't think the spirits would have you slay your father, Zuko," Iroh said after an exceedingly long pause. "I believe Ozai's path ends at the Avatar. But the Avatar, for all his power, is still a fragile thing in so many ways." Zuko could hear Iroh slide down the door, but his uncle's voice floated to his ears stronger than ever. "What is the main premise you learned of Fire Nation politics?"

Lips forming the words without conscious thought, Zuko obediently answered, "My enemy's enemy is my friend."

"Consider Azula and Ozai the enemy, Zuko," his uncle intoned solemnly. "Otherwise, they will happily escort you to your funeral pyre. Leave. Find the Avatar."

"But Uncle-"

"I said go!" Iroh roared, his voice swelling with passion. "The time for subtlety is over. Leave, Zuko, this night. Leave and find the Avatar, and meet your destiny on your own terms. But first," he added softly, "go to my rooms, to the portrait of Lu Ten. Remove it and touch the spot where it hangs on the wall. My advanced firebending scrolls will be waiting for you there, along with something I want you to have."

"I'm sorry," Zuko breathed, his voice hitching. "You've been more a father to me than any son could hope for, let alone a nephew." He paused, unsure if he could bring himself to say the words. "I-I love you."

Zuko heard the sob on the other side. "And I you, Zuko." A sniffle followed. "Now go."

Zuko turned to leave the dungeons, but paused at his uncle's next words.

"Your sister is hiding something from you, Zuko, something important. Find it before you leave and take it with you. It is something that will help shape your destiny."

Zuko woke with a start, his body aching from sleeping on the cold floor and sweat soaking his hair. He looked out the window at the sunrise. His uncle's dream words echoed in his head. _Leave, Zuko, this night. Leave and find the Avatar, and meet your destiny on your own terms…your sister is hiding something from you, Zuko, something important. Find it before you leave and take it with you._

Rolling to his feet, Zuko shook his head at the memory and stumbled to the window, looking out at the sun as its first rays kissed the mountains in a burst of color. He clenched his fists and made a decision. "Yes, uncle," he promised the empty air.

* * *

Iroh shifted his bulk on the thin mat he'd been provided, but his empty gaze belied his actions- he was not aware of the world around him, or even the discomfort of his body.

In the Spirit World, the old man stood on a vast plain, its dry grasses rustling around his legs. He bowed to a tall, cadaverous figure. "I thank you for allowing me to enter Zuko's dream, Avatar Roku, but I do not understand- why did you have me tell him that Azula was hiding something important from him? I know my nephew- if he does not figure out what it is by tonight, he will stay to find it and miss his window of opportunity."

"I have faith that the young prince will discover Azula's secret in time, Iroh, and you should as well."

General Iroh, the Dragon of the West, nodded and sank to his knees. "You are right- I must believe in Zuko." He bent over and touched his forehead to the ground. "I will now gladly make any exchange you ask of me for saving my nephew."

The Avatar studied the short, rotund figure for a moment before crouching and lifting the man from where he bowed so submissively. "Even your life?"

Iroh gazed at the Avatar peacefully, his expression one of gentle acceptance. "My life has been long, and I have made a difference. I know that now- so, yes, I will forfeit my life."

Roku smiled secretively. "That is not necessary at this juncture. Return to the physical world, Iroh. You have work to do yet."

Iroh vanished from the plain before he could reply.

Avatar Kyoshi materialized next to Roku, her painted eyebrows drawn together in a scowl. "The nephew has made his decision to leave and help the Avatar- the Dragon of the West has fulfilled his destiny," she said, disapproval shining in her eyes. "You should have taken him."

"No, Kyoshi. By sending the young prince to aid Aang, we've torn a hole in the tapestry of fate, and I would not remove a thread yet that may still have a significant space to fill. Besides," he added with a faint smile, "I've always had a soft spot for dragons."

* * *

A/N: For those of you interested, I did a bit of research on auras for Ty Lee's study of Zuko. Most of the sources I looked at had complimentary information, but since "aura reading" is a subjective topic at best, there's no definitive answer as to what certain colors mean. I've included a quick note of the colors Zuko's aura included below so you can see how I thought it would look:

White: Symbolizes a lack of harmony between body and mind, almost like static, or background noise that interferes with the aura. Some sources said white was a color of enlightenment, but for my purposes, I chose to go with the "background noise" interpretation.

Turquoise: Highly energized and driven, often present in the auras of people in positions of authority or those striving to get there.

Orange: Symbolizes power, and can mean either the desire to control others or the ability to do so.

Red: Physical or materialistic thoughts, as well as a general indicator of high emotions, impulsiveness and a tendency towards anger. It can also mean a person that is so focused on something that they are straddling the border of obsession.

Brown: A negative spirituality that acts as a distraction or unsettles the mind.

Grey: Depressing thoughts or muddled intentions, though it can also mean the beginning of awakening one's abilities or indicate a loner's path.

Sulfur yellow: Pain, uneasiness or anger.

Green: Restful and a sign of healing as well as being straightforward.


	3. Chapter 3

**EDIT: For some weird reason, the site wasn't showing this as updated with the third chapter except to those that had the story on their alert list. Reloading didn't fix it, so I'm just going to post it again as Chapter Four. For those of you who already read Chapter Three and were expecting the next chapter, I apologize for the inconvenience. It should be up sometime tomorrow.**

A/N: It's probably time I put a disclaimer up here, huh?

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to **Avatar: The Last Airbender** is the property of Nick Studios. My name is Katie, not Nick Studios, and therefore- Avatar is not mine.

* * *

"He won't talk to you, Zuzu, you know that," Azula said mockingly as she descended the twisting steps to the dungeons at her brother's side. "You've tried- what, a dozen times now?" 

Zuko ignored her and continued down the stairs quietly. Again, he wished that she trusted him enough to visit their uncle alone, but he knew that he would be denied entry even if he managed to sneak down there without her knowledge.

When they reached the dungeons and had passed the guards, Zuko felt fear and excitement bubble up into his chest. _It was only a dream, Zuko, or maybe another hallucination. Uncle did not actually visit you in your mind, and he won't talk to you now._ He straightened his shoulders as they arrived at the cell. "Uncle?" he called softly.

Azula stood to the side and smirked. Even though her brother's little trips to the dungeons were a waste of her time, it was always gratifying to see his spirit broken a little more each time her fool of an uncle refused to acknowledge his presence.

Iroh stood and walked to the door, peering out the small window at his niece and nephew. Zuko stared back at him with hooded hope in his eyes. "Zuko," Iroh said softly.

Zuko's heart leapt into his throat. "Uncle?" he whispered, shocked that after almost two weeks of refusing to even look at him, his uncle was now calling his name.

"Isn't this touching," Azula purred, moving forward to block Zuko's view of his uncle's face in the window.

Iroh spat on the floor. "My niece- I'm touched that you came to check on my welfare, Azula. I'm sorry to tell you that I haven't died yet."

She laughed softly, but the malice in her eyes made Iroh shrink back. "Pity." She stepped out of his line of sight. "Make it quick, Zuko, I've got bending drills to work on."

Zuko held his uncle's gaze as he tried to think of a way to ask him about the dream without laying everything bare in front of Azula.

Watching his nephew struggle for words and knowing that his snake of a niece was close enough to hear even a whisper, Iroh said simply, "A man can learn much about himself by studying and interpreting his dreams, Zuko. Meditating on their meanings can provide a measure of peace when the world around you no longer makes sense."

"Sage advice from an old man in a cage," Azula sneered, "but I'm afraid we need to be going, Zuko. If Uncle has nothing of import to tell us, like why he turned traitor to his country, then we shouldn't waste our time." She grabbed her brother's sleeve. "Let's go," she ordered.

Zuko stood transfixed. The dream _had_ been real if his uncle could know to say something like that to him. He yanked his arm out of Azula's grasp. "Yes, Uncle Iroh. The answer is yes."

"What answer?" his sister snapped, irritated at Zuko's refusal to heed her order.

He turned a purpose-filled gaze towards her. "Yes, I will meditate on my dreams, of course. What else could I mean?" He began to walk back down the hallway, not pausing to look at his sister or to look back at the cell.

With a hatred-filled glance at the pathetic old man watching her failure of a brother walk away, Azula spun on her heel and followed him out.

"That's my boy," Iroh whispered to the empty room.

* * *

Azula strode into the main hall. She was not surprised to see her instructors waiting for her. 

"You are late," one old woman said, her hands folded in her sleeves.

"We do not tolerate tardiness," the other added sternly.

Azula bent her head in acknowledgement. "My apologies," she offered with false meekness. "I had other matters to attend to."

"The Dragon of the West is not going anywhere," the first woman replied. "It is not fitting for a princess to have unordered priorities."

Gritting her teeth to hold back a sharp retort, Azula let her gaze slide past the two crones. General Cheng was standing in the doorway.

"Princess Azula." He bowed courteously before moving forward. "A moment, if you will."

She stepped forward to meet him with a small smile. The subtle insult of leaving the old women after their chiding was a salve to her pride. "General Cheng," she said flatly. "What honor you do me by seeking me out. How can I assist you?"

"As I watched the soldiers drill earlier, a thought occurred to me. Great leaders in the Fire Nation must do more than master politics and collect allies- they must also command the military's respect."

Clasping her hands behind her back, Azula studied the old man. "And?" she prodded.

"And should you wish to take a more active role in the royal family's matters, then you must bring the army to your side." He looked out a small window. "The men will not follow a woman without being persuaded that she is not only competent, but extraordinary."

Azula smiled. She didn't need to let the aging advisor know that she was using him to accomplish that goal. "Oh?"

"Yes." Cheng studied the old women watching their exchange before continuing, "Your firebending skills alone are not enough. You must spend time with the men- let them observe you as a leader, not just their prodigiously talented princess. May I suggest an outing?"

"Of course," Azula replied submissively. "Whatever you think is best."

"After your studies, why don't you take a platoon of the palace guards out to question the townspeople and search for indicators of the Avatar's arrival?"

"An excellent plan," she said with an approving smile. "I'll be sure to do that."

General Cheng made his bows and left the girl to her tutors. Taking a roundabout route to the guards' barracks, he considered his options. He could fully back the girl's ambitions and help her overthrow her father, or he could tell the Fire Lord straight away that his favored child had his blood in her eyes, thereby forever securing his position as a loyal servant to the Fire Lord.

_Or_, he mused, _I could continue treading this tightrope and see who comes out victorious. _He nodded to the soldiers that saluted him as he entered the barracks. _The child has no hope of out-scheming Ozai_, he thought. _No, Princess Azula will not see the throne. Ozai will crush her when the moment arises, but if I play this right, perhaps they will destroy each other_. Cheng entered his rooms and eased onto a chair before the fire, contemplating the life of a senior _loyal_ advisor that stood tall in the wake of the death of the royal family. He smiled. _I must wait until the perfect moment to strike._

* * *

Zuko stood in Iroh's study, the advanced firebending scrolls tucked under one arm. He stared at the object in his other hand, wondering what the tear-shaped ruby's significance was, aside from its monetary worth. Looking back over his shoulder, he sighed and tucked the gem into his pocket. It was almost sunset and he'd yet to discover Azula's secret. "I'm running out of time, Uncle," he whispered. "I need help." 

A warm breeze fluttered the sash at the window, revealing Azula and perhaps a dozen of the royal guard marching out the palace gates, undoubtedly to go look for the Avatar.

He sighed heavily and left his uncle's rooms, intent on returning to his own to think about what Azula could be hiding that was so important and where he might find it. Zuko's steps faltered as he passed his sister's door. Hurrying on, he dropped the scrolls on his bed and returned to her door, making sure the hallway was empty before he slipped inside.

The oppressive darkness of her room was a surprise- Azula usually had a fire blazing in her hearth every moment of the day. Zuko stayed close to the wall and waited for his vision to adjust before he began to rifle through her belongings and search for secret compartments.

After a thorough search, Zuko felt defeat clawing at his insides- whatever the object was that Azula was hiding, she was better at concealing it than he was at finding it. "The story of my life," he mumbled as he circled back around the room for a cursory inspection of her private bath. Better to check everything while he had the chance, right?

The bath, the sink and the walls themselves divulged nothing, and Zuko stuck his head quickly into her dry sauna to be thorough. He froze when he saw a human form hanging suspended from chains.

He rushed forward, knowing instinctively that this was what he had been looking for. "Are you alive?" he asked as he circled the utterly still body. The boneless way it hung there indicated that the answer was probably 'no'.

Zuko stared at the wizened face of a female, a small woman in Water Tribe robes. His throat closed as he stared at the face, but his mind refused to process the sight. He only knew one female Water Tribe member that might be in the Fire Nation, but this couldn't be her- the Avatar's girlfriend was only a girl. This was a crone… he looked at the leather band at the back of her neck and swallowed hard before grasping the head and tilting it to the side. He knew the necklace tied around her throat.

Zuko fought the near-overwhelming urge to vomit as he sat down hard on the sauna's bench. It _was_ the waterbender. His sister's secret had also apparently been the recipient of the hobby she'd mentioned the other day- torture. Dizzily, he thought that her method was both brilliant and indescribably horrific- what better way to torture a waterbender than to leave them in a dry sauna to suck every drop of moisture from their body? His sister had achieved a level of sadism usually reserved for mythical demons.

Taking a deep breath to recompose himself, Zuko reached up and closed his hand around the chain, focusing the energy necessary to disintegrate the metal with one hand. When it gave, he had to snatch at the waterbender's robes to keep her from hitting the ground loud enough to alert a passer-by.

He dragged her inert form out of the sauna and laid her flat on the cool tile of Azula's bathroom floor before he began to search for a pulse. To Zuko's surprise, there was a faint-but-steady beat in her neck, though she didn't so much as twitch and her breathing was so shallow as to be unnoticeable. "You're what I'm supposed to take with me?" he asked her sunken, dehydrated face doubtfully before standing up and laying her gently over his shoulder. "Let's go get my things together, then, peasant, and try to revive you. We've got a long night ahead of us."

By the time Zuko closed the door to his rooms, he could feel his heart pounding in anticipation of the first shout. After all, walking the hallways of the family's wing with what looked like a dead woman slung over his shoulder was hardly inconspicuous, but the spirits seemed to be watching out for him. He encountered no one.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" he asked the waterbender helplessly as he laid her on his bed and unbound the heavy leather strips lashing her palms together. "I can't sneak out of the palace while hauling you around like a sack of flour. Wake up." Zuko slapped her withered cheeks lightly. "Wake _up_," he repeated a little more forcefully. "Waterbender!" he hissed, shaking her shoulders roughly. "Damn you, wake up!"

Zuko felt like an idiot when he looked at her cracked, dehydrated face. "Water," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "She needs water, you half-wit." Returning with a glass, he raised her head and tried to let the liquid trickle down her throat, but most of it ended up soaking the front of her tattered, faded robes. After he managed to pour three more glasses down her throat, he sat back and waited for her to wake up. Looking out the window, he panicked. It was almost dusk.

When she didn't stir after several minutes, Zuko looked around, his eyes finally settling on the door to his own bath. Getting up, he ran a full tub and heated it to room temperature before scooping up the waterbender and moving her to the tub.

Standing in the bathing room, Zuko looked at her frail body uncertainly. Should he remove her clothes so they'd be dry later for their journey, or should he preserve what little dignity she had left? Deciding the trauma of waking naked to him would be too much, he slipped her fully-clothed into the water and held her by the arms to keep her head from sliding underwater. Leaning over the edge of the tub, he waited.

* * *

Aang's eyes opened and he sat up as if he hadn't been sleeping for weeks. "Hi," he said softly to the bear watching him. 

Bosco nudged Kuei, who had fallen asleep. "Aang!" the former Earth King said happily as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "You're awake!"

Stretching, Aang nodded. "I feel great," he said. "Katara must have done a great job of healing me, because I feel better than I have in a long time." He looked around. "Where is she?"

Kuei smiled sadly. "She's not here." He held up a hand when the boy scrambled to his feet. "You've been asleep for some time now, Aang. We're at the Eastern Air Temple with Guru Pathik, but your friends are not with us."

"What?" Aang shouted as he pulled on his tunic. "Where are they? Are they alright?"

"They're fine," Kuei reassured him. "They sent me here with you to make sure you got better without having to worry about you being captured."

"Where are they?" Aang repeated.

"They're preparing for the eclipse. In the Fire Nation."

Aang started, a horrified look dawning on his young features. "Fire Nation?" he repeated, sinking to his knees, his grey eyes pleading.

"I knew Bosco and I were useless in your plans, Aang, and I asked your friends to just find a safe spot to let us off so you could continue on your journey. Your warrior friend, Sokka, said he knew just the place.

"After they found a safe location to land in the Fire Nation and scouted around, Sokka explained that I was to accompany you here. Katara failed to heal you, though I think she brought you back to life -at least it looked that way, since that was the only time you woke up after your battle with the Fire Nation Princess- and then you fell into some sort of coma. I told them I would watch over you as long as you needed me to. Your friends told your sky bison where to take us, and here we are."

The fact that Sokka, Katara and Toph had entered the Fire Nation without him still shocked Aang. "But I'm the Avatar. I have to defeat the Fire Lord, and we were going to do it during the eclipse," Aang sputtered.

"I thought you still needed to learn firebending," Kuei said with a frown.

"Well, yeah, I guess I do, but we've got weeks until the eclipse. That's plenty of time for me to catch up with them and find a master."

The older man cleared his throat. "Not exactly."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"As I said, you slept for a long time, Aang."

"How long?" Aang asked as he studied the sky through the window, as if that would tell him how many days had passed.

"The eclipse is in one week."

Aang jumped to his feet. "What?" he shouted. He turned and ran for the door.

* * *

"I understand your need to leave," Guru Pathik said from his perch on Appa's head as Aang ran towards him, "but you need more information before you and your pets fly off into the night. Please sit with me." 

Aang smiled gently as he collapsed gracefully next to the guru and gave Appa a loving pat. "How did you know I was going to leave?"

"You are the Avatar," he replied simply. "It is time for you to go where you are needed most. Right now, that is the Fire Nation." He smiled as he studied the mutinous desire to leave immediately written all over the Avatar's face. "How are your chakras?"

Aang scrubbed his face with his hands. "Great. Never better. I've got to go."

"Not yet, young Avatar."

The guru guided Aang through his chakras again, showing him the damage the lightning had left in his heart. "Be careful of that," he warned. "It will not actively hurt you, but the scarring has become like barnacles on a rock- it will not block your chi, but it will slow it down as it passes through. To compensate, you must keep your other chakras open wide."

Aang looked at him with pleading eyes. "I love her," he whispered.

Pathik frowned, knowing what the Avatar referred to. "Love is good, Aang. Last time, you left before I could explain. It is good that you love her, but you are still so young that you do not realize there are different kinds of love. It is not just about marrying and having babies together. Sometimes, love is destined for greater things than creating a family."

"I don't understand," Aang cried in frustration. "I _love_ her, and I think she loves me."

Pathik shook his head forcefully enough to make his full beard shake like a bush in a windstorm. "You must listen to what I'm saying, Aang. A father loves his children. A sister loves her brother. A turtle-duck loves the water. The plants love the sun."

"I am listening! What does that even _mean_?"

"I am not saying that your love for Katara is not real or not important- it is, but it does not guarantee the kind of future you envision. Understand that love does not tie you to the physical world- it does not block the final chakra. Love is pure and selfless; it is desire that chains you down. You desire Katara, and that is not the same as love- once you understand this, the Avatar state will come to you as easily as breathing."

Aang grumbled and stared at the first star visible in the night sky. It twinkled so brightly. "I have to go," he said softly, rising to his feet to retrieve Appa's reins. "Katara and Sokka and Toph need me."

"The world needs you, Aang," the guru said as he jumped spryly down from Appa and sank to the ground to begin to meditate.

"I won't let them down," Aang said as he rubbed a hand along Appa's fur. Looking over his shoulder, he saw supplies strapped to the saddle and Momo curled up in one corner. "Thank you," he said to the guru before looking back at the star. "Appa, yip yip."

* * *

A/N: For those of you that have reviewed so far, thank you very, very much. I love reviews- they make my day. :D 

Now not to be a drag, but I'm disappointed. This site has a nifty little hit count option, and I have to say that I'm sad that there are so many hits and so few reviews. (What can I say? I guess I'm spoiled- my first story here has something like 450 reviews- I thought that was the norm.) So as not to sound like a complete whining brat, I'm just going to ask very nicely that if you read this, and like what you see so far, please leave me a review telling me what you thought. Good or bad, concrit or just a quick thumbs up. Next chapter up tomorrow, I think!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: First, I apologize for the batshit-craziness of FF(dot)net this week. I don't know what's going on, but I know some of you were put out by the double posting. Hopefully, this chapter will post properly. We'll see. If not, I may take a week off and let them get their crap together before I try reposting. If that happens, check my profile for the news on this story.

Second, my little cry-baby rant in the last chapter's author's notes was uncalled for. I'm sorry. I should be happy with whatever reviews I get, and as a friend told me last night, I should write for my own satisfaction, not the reviews. One problem: Reviews are awesome. They make me squee and want to write more. On that note, special thank you's this chapter to **Midori Aoi** and **Mynuet**, who have reviewed every chapter with thoughtful critiques. To everyone else, I love you too!

Quick warning- there's a small bit at the end involving violence- it's very quick, but it mentions character death, so if you're not into reading that sort of thing, you can skip the section about Zuko and Katara finding disguises.

* * *

Katara woke in stages, feeling like she was swimming up through miles of tar. When her eyes reluctantly obeyed her command to open, she stared uncomprehendingly at the wall for several minutes before the sensation of water lapping at her body and arms holding her above water registered in her foggy brain. When she tried to turn, it felt like her skin was three sizes too small for her body, and a broken whimper escaped through her cracked lips. 

Zuko sucked in a breath when she moaned- it sounded awful, but she was at least awake. Shifting carefully so that she could see his face he said, "Well, look who woke up."

Swallowing against the pain that ripped through her, Katara sat up and scrabbled away, trying to hoist herself out of the tub to no avail. She sank weakly against the lip and stared at him, knowing her death was moments away. Strangely, the thought still rankled, even after everything she'd endured at his sister's hands- the days of hanging from her wrists in that awful dry heat, screaming in vain. She levelled a flat stare at him. "Why?" she croaked.

When she showed enough strength to move across the tub without drowning herself, Zuko stepped back and raised his hands, showing her that he wasn't a threat. "Why what?" he responded, wincing when her lower lip cracked and began to dribble blood down her chin. "I don't mean you harm- actually, I'm the one that saved you. No, don't look at me like that- it's true. The situation has... changed. I know what you must think of me, especially after Ba Sing Se, but I've..." He cleared his throat. "I'm leaving the palace to go find the Avatar and offer him my services."

Katara concentrated on pulling in even, measured breaths as the water soaked into her skin. Perhaps he was telling the truth, perhaps not. But if he was lying, why had he cut her down from that sauna and taken her from his sister? As she floated, she felt a tingling in her chest- her healing abilities. If he left her here for another hour, she might have enough energy to heal herself. "Why not just go, then?" she replied, wincing as the words tore through her parched throat.

He brought her a full glass of water before he responded, and held it as she guzzled greedily. "Don't drink too fast," he warned. "It'll make you sick." When she nodded and leaned back, he thought back to her question. "I was told in a vision to leave and join forces with the Avatar, and the same vision told me to find Azula's secret and take it with me." He pointed at her. "You're the secret- therefore, you're coming. I didn't think you'd be worried over the details, little girl, especially since it gets you back to your precious brother and the Avatar."

Nodding, Katara closed her eyes and tried to summon her healing abilities, but her arms didn't want to move. The pain was blinding, easily overwhelming her ability to call water. Sighing, she tried to flex her fingers, thinking she could start small and work her way up.

Zuko watched silently as she fought against her pain and tried to start moving her muscles. Nothing was dislocated or broken -he had checked- but he was sure her skin refused to stretch properly with her movement. He got up and left.

Hearing him leave, Katara cracked her eyelids, trying to think of a plan to get out of the Fire Palace. When he returned with a tub of lotion in his hands, she looked at him questioningly.

"The water alone isn't going to be enough," he replied evenly as he unscrewed the cap of the jar. Zuko knelt next to the tub and held out a hand. "I know you don't trust me, but give me your hand anyway." He sighed. "At this point, what do you have to lose?"

Katara considered his words carefully, but he was right. She had nothing to lose by letting him help her for now. Her breath hissed out at the pain, but she lifted an arm for him to take.

He deftly untied the strip of fabric she used as a wrist guard and pushed her sleeve up over her shoulder before scooping up some of the cream and working it into her hand gently. She grunted every time he moved on to a new section of skin, but she didn't pull away. He marvelled at her tolerance for pain and tried to make his movements as delicate as possible.

It took Zuko almost an hour to work the cream into her arms, face and neck, but by then she was able to move cautiously and talk with only minor pain. She glanced at her robe, leggings and boots and grimaced. The lotion had helped immensely, but letting him touch the rest of her body seemed like a very bad option. "That's good," she said softly, pushing herself awkwardly to her feet. "I can get the rest."

"Are you sure?" Zuko asked doubtfully. "You're swaying like a willow tree during monsoon, and we really don't have much time before we need to leave."

She spared him a glance as she bent to hold the side of the tub and pull off one boot. "I'm fi-" _Splash! _She came up from the water with a groan- her knees had buckled after only a few seconds on her feet.

Zuko tried to hold back a small smirk as he pulled her back to her feet, but he failed spectacularly. "Apparently," he said. "Look, how about this. You sit on the edge and I'll take your boots off, then you take off your leggings. I'll get the lotion on your legs and feet and then you can take care of the rest." He waved a hand at her torso. "I swear to you, I'm not interested in defiling your cracked, wrinkled self."

Katara bit back the protest on her lips. It was true- she wasn't exactly something many men would willing look at right now, much less think impure thoughts about. "Alright," she grumbled.

After suffering the indignity of allowing him to remove her boots, Zuko was surprised when Katara asked him to finish pulling off her leggings.

She slumped tiredly on the edge of the tub. "I can't get the rest," she sighed, waving to where the pants tangled around her ankles. "Would you please pull them the rest of the way off?"

Zuko nodded and silently pulled the sodden fabric over her feet before picking up the lotion again. She again surprised him by managing to stay upright while he worked the lotion into her legs and feet with an economy of movement. "Finished," he announced as he sat back on his heels. "I'll turn away while you get the rest."

The unbearable heaviness of her limbs was driving Katara insane. She felt weaker than a baby tiger-seal, and her muscles were just about finished listening to her strident demands that they hold her up. She fumbled with the belt of her robe to no avail- her fingers simply wouldn't free the knot in the fabric. It seemed she would be dealing another blow to her sorely bruised ego. "I need help," she whispered tiredly.

Turning at her words, Zuko stood and studied her for a moment before laying several towels out across the floor. Pulling her carefully to her feet and supporting her with one hand, he clumsily loosened the belt enough for it to drop over her hips and her robe to gap open slightly. "Turn around," he ordered, "and kneel. This will go much easier that way."

Katara knew she should argue or tell him where he and his commands could go, but at the moment, his grip on her arms was all that was keeping her upright. She let him lower her carefully to the ground before making him turn away so she could unwind her chest bindings. "Okay," she said, embarrassment nearly choking her. "Done."

Zuko told her to cover herself with her hands before he turned around, and he heard her scramble to comply immediately. Not like he had any inclination to ogle her, particularly in her current state, but it let her feel like she was preserving her modesty. "Alright, let's get this over with," he said, dropping her robe next to him and picking up the tub of cream.

After several minutes, Katara could feel the painful stretching across her back and shoulders ease as the lotion soaked in. She tried to ignore his hands rubbing more cream across her lower back and sides, but he was too near places that no man save her future husband should touch for her not to fidget.

When she started to squirm uncomfortably, Zuko knew it was time to hand her the lotion and leave the room. "Here," he said suddenly, dropping the jar next to her knee. "I'm sure you'll want to get the rest of it yourself." Zuko cleared his throat. "I'll just be -er- I'll wait outside the door, but you need to hurry."

Feeling the heat of a blush flood her cheeks, Katara nodded mutely and waited for the sound of the door clicking closed before she chanced a look over her shoulder. Sitting down and dipping her fingers into the lotion, she set to work.

* * *

Toph trailed her fingers idly in the water as Sokka paddled them towards the shore. Or at least she presumed he was doing so. "We there yet?" she asked flippantly. 

"Yeah, we're there, but I thought I'd just sit out here and row in circles for some exercise." Sokka sighed. "You know, since I'm doing all the work here, maybe you could shut your mouth and keep your ears open or something."

She snorted. "Be the lookout, you mean? That's ironic."

"For someone that moans all the time about pulling her own weight and not wanting to be treated like a helpless little girl, you sure are opposed to actually doing anything." Sokka dipped the oars back in the water with a little more force than strictly necessary. "It's just like you to leave all the work for me to do while you sit on your ass."

"Excuse me?" she huffed.

Sokka grinned, pleased to have gotten a rise out of her. "You heard me. Sit. On. Your. Ass."

Toph groped around in the bottom of the boat for something to throw at him, but he reached over to grab her arm before she could wing the food bag at his head.

"Shh," Sokka whispered urgently. Stowing the paddles, he slipped over the side into the water and guided the boat silently into a small inlet, holding it out of sight of the children he saw darting through the trees on the shore.

Toph sat completely still, feeling the gentle rocking of the boat and listening to Sokka's rapid breaths. She remained silent even after his breathing returned to normal.

"Okay, they're gone. It was just some kids playing in the woods, I think," he said softly after many minutes had passed. Grunting, he pulled the boat further up the small creek. "Time to get out. I need your help to stow the canoe up in those bushes."

Splashing into the water, Toph smiled as the pebbled riverbed met her feet. Suddenly, their surroundings pulled into sharp focus for her. "That's much better," she sighed. "Now I don't have to listen to you whine about every little thing you do." Grabbing the other side, she helped him drag the small boat up and out of sight.

Sokka hefted one pack onto his shoulder and handed the other to Toph. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yep." She grinned at him. "What, we're afraid of a bunch of kids now?"

Sokka's nostrils flared with the effort it took not to point out that she was a child herself. A child with almighty earthbending skills, but still a child. Taking a deep breath, he looked back in the direction the children had gone. "This is the Fire Nation," he said solemnly. "Everyone -and I mean _everyone- _is a threat."

* * *

Katara opened the door to the outer rooms and glanced around cautiously, her eyes lighting on the prince's figure as he stuffed supplies into two packs. "Okay," she said tentatively. "I'm done." 

Zuko looked back at the waterbender. She was clutching the doorframe like it was the only thing holding her up, but she was at least standing up straight and had a little color in her cheeks. "Do you think you can do this?" he asked doubtfully. "Because we need to keep moving until we're out of the city, and I'm not going to carry you."

She stepped out of the doorway and focused on moving forward without stumbling. "Well, it's not exactly like there's an alternative," she replied shortly. "Hanging out with your sister isn't high up on my list of things to do."

Bending his head, Zuko went back to his task, privately thinking that anyone that spent time with his sister willing had a few screws loose. "I've gathered as much as I can without arousing suspicion," he said. "I've got food and water for at least three days, two blankets, my swords and dagger and whatever money I had in my rooms."

"What's that?" she asked, bending slowly to reach a hand out towards three scrolls and a small pouch.

"Nothing," Zuko barked as he snatched them out of her reach. Carefully, he added them to the larger of the two packs. Looking around, he dusted his hands off and stood gracefully. "All we need now are disguises."

Katara narrowed her eyes at him. "They better be damned good ones, because we're both rather… identifiable."

Eyebrow raised, Zuko replied, "You think?" Shaking his head, he turned to the door. "I'll be taking a Fire soldier's uniform, and you're going to be an elderly palace servant."

"And no one's going to question a soldier and old servant traipsing about town with backpacks?" She shook her head. "Don't you think these things through?"

Bristling, Zuko clenched his hands at his sides. "I have," he rasped, breathing deeply to get his temper under control. He'd need all his patience and skill to get them out of the capital. "You are Ming, the apothecary's assistant, and it's quite common for you to go down to the forest to collect medicinal herbs. Since the ingredients you need are for a poultice needed for the prince, a soldier will accompany you to ensure you make haste."

Waving a hand at the packs, Katara asked, "And those?"

"They're going in the bottom of the herb cart you'll be pushing."

"Pushing?" Katara squeaked. "I can barely walk, and you want me to push a damned cart?"

"The forests are downhill from the palace, and it will give you something to lean on," he clarified. "Besides, no one will question an old woman moving slowly and leaning heavily on a cart, whereas they _would _if you were leaning on me. Got it?"

Sighing heavily, Katara nodded. The plan actually made sense. "Fine." She pointed a finger at him. "But I still need clothes."

"Stand over by the window," Zuko ordered as he moved to the door. "Guard!" he shouted, flinging the door open.

A Fire Nation palace guard rushed into the room. "What do you need, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko pointed to the window. "What's _she_ doing here?" When the guard turned to look at her, Zuko slipped behind him and snapped his neck with a swift twist of his hands. Calmly, he turned and closed the door before moving to the fallen man.

Katara sank to her knees, a gasp lodged in her throat. "Did you- is he- _dead_?" she whispered in horror."Tell me he's not dead."

Not bothering with a look in the girl's direction, Zuko continued to untie the laces of the guard's armor. "He's dead," he replied flatly, yanking the shoulder and breast plates from the body.

"How could you?" she hissed, rushing forward to push him roughly. "How could you just kill him like that, without a second thought?"

"Was I mistaken in thinking you wanted to get out of this alive?" he asked, exasperation making his voice rise. Seeing her tremble, he sighed and sat back on his heels. "Look, would it make you feel better to know that this particular guard was stationed in the family wing because he isn't allowed near the women in the public section or the kitchens?"

With a wary glance at Zuko, Katara turned her eyes to the dead man. "Why?" she asked in spite of herself.

"He's been accused twice since I've returned of raping female servants. They had no proof, but the staff threatened to revolt if he wasn't sectioned off."

Her horror at the man's death lessened a fraction. "He was a rapist," she murmured, searching the now-serene face for a sign of the monster that had been inside. "Your country has people that would do that to one another?" She flushed immediately, hearing the stupidity of her own question- after all, hadn't she just been tortured by the Fire Nation Princess herself?

Zuko donned the guard's clothes and armor with an economy of movement, but he was surprised when the waterbender didn't even flinch as he shed his clothes to don the new ones. She was lost in her own musings. Tying the laces at his waist, Zuko snapped his fingers at her. "I need your help," he said.

"What?" Katara snapped out of her reverie and looked at the prince, who was holding up one arm and looking pointedly at her. "You need help with the laces," she said, closing in to complete the task.

When she finished, he slipped the face plate into his mask and turned to the door. "I'll be back with your clothes soon," he said. "Stay out of sight, and for Agni's sake, stay quiet."

After he left, she grumbled, "Stay hidden and be quiet. Jeez, I never would have thought of that on my own."

It felt like an eternity had passed before he slipped back into the room with a pile of clothes in his arms. "Here," he said, shoving them at her. "Hurry up. We've got to leave soon."

Katara went into the bathroom and donned the clothes as fast as she could, and was grateful that they seemed to be rather simple to put on. Black pants, a summer-weight maroon robe and an apron were self-explanatory. An extra length of fabric was included, but not knowing what to do with it, she carried it back out. "What's this for?"

Zuko took the fabric from the waterbender and moved behind her, draping the fabric over her head and wrapping it around. Drawing several hairpins from his fist, he secured the head-covering in place. "A mark of the healers here," he explained as he studied her head. Adjusting one fold, he nodded. "It helps that it covers your hair- right now, your face can pass for an old woman's, but the brown hair would've been a dead giveaway."

"Where'd you get this?" she asked suddenly. "You didn't go kill an old woman, did you?" she added, suspicion darkening her eyes.

"The laundry," was his reply as he wrapped their packs up in a sheet. "Now, Apothecary's Assistant Ming, I need to take this dirty linen back to the laundry cart. Let's go."

Katara looked out the window, suddenly apprehensive. A single star twinkled brightly in the oncoming dusk. She nodded once and followed him out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry this took so long to get up, but the file for this chapter got corrupted and I had to start from scratch. In any case, this chapter is almost entirely Zuko and Katara, for those of you jonesing for some good, old-fashioned Zutara interaction.

* * *

Stumbling, Katara caught herself on the cart she pushed and gauged the distance to the woodline. _Not much farther now at all_. She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and let Zuko worry about their surroundings.

The strain of constantly scanning for potential threats and trying to be as inconspicuous as possible was beginning to tell on Zuko. Every step he took felt like he was slogging through mud and his brain was becoming dangerously slow with fatigue. After so many days without sleep, even the minimal exertion of a downhill walk was exhausting. _Not much longer_, he thought to himself. _We're almost to the forest, and it's only a mile or two from there. Just keep going._ When his companion stumbled again, he reached out and grabbed her elbow to steady her. "We're almost there. Just keep it up for ten more minutes."

Katara nodded. Ten minutes- she could do that on willpower alone. _Who am I kidding? _she thought wryly. _That's exactly what I'm doing now._

They had just cleared the first line of trees when alarm bells went off in the distance.

Zuko locked eyes with Katara. "They know," he breathed. "I thought we'd have longer." Yanking the cart away from her, he hauled out the two packs and quickly pushed the cart into some bushes. "Hurry up," Zuko ordered as he put on the larger of the packs.

Shouldering the new load, Katara felt blessed adrenaline course through her, giving her a burst of much-needed energy. "Which way?"

He pointed down an overgrown path. "Through there," he said, taking the lead and setting a quick pace. "We've got maybe a mile to go and, at best, fifteen minutes before they find our trail."

Breaking into a jog behind him, Katara clenched her teeth. _One mile. Just one mile_.

* * *

The depths of the dungeons could block out the sunlight, but they did not dampen sound enough to prevent Iroh from hearing the wail of the alarm. 

Picking up the bowl of simple gruel, he smiled. "Good boy," he whispered before spooning some food into his mouth. "Blech!" With a disgusted face, he spit it back out.

"Guard! Guard!" he yelled.

The skull-like faceplate of a Fire soldier appeared in the small window. "What do you want now, old man?" he sneered.

"To propose a trade," Iroh said pleasantly. "I'd like to trade in my food for a pot of tea."

The soldier laughed. "You're insane, you know that?"

"Is that a yes?" Iroh pressed.

The guard left without replying, and Iroh sullenly ate as much of the disgusting gruel as he could force himself to swallow.

Much later, a cup of cold ginseng tea was included with his next bowl of gruel. The old man smiled.

* * *

Katara knew she couldn't make it much farther- she'd had to run to keep pace with the much-taller Zuko, and every breath felt like a spear in her side. When he disappeared around an outcropping of rock up ahead, she redoubled her efforts and barrelled ahead. 

Panting, Zuko was almost knocked down when the waterbender came hurtling around the blind turn, but he managed to step out of her path just in time.

With a surprised yelp, Katara went careening past Zuko and only saved herself from a shameful fall by clutching the trunk of a tree. "You could have helped me," she gasped accusingly.

"Would you have helped me?" he replied.

"Probably not."

He acknowledged her honesty with a small nod. "I didn't think so." Adjusting his pack, Zuko surveyed their surroundings closely. "This is it," he said finally.

Leaning heavily against the tree, Katara looked around in incredulity before pinning the prince with an enraged glare. "_This_ is it?" she hissed. "We broke out of the palace and have guards tracking us even now and you want to set up camp in the middle of the _open forest?_"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "How stupid do you think I am?" He pointed at a scraggly bush on a small ledge halfway up the sheer face of the rock outcropping. "There. We're going up there."

Raising her eyebrows, Katara looked up. "We're climbing a spirits-cursed cliff? Are you insane?" she asked flatly.

Reaching over, he gripped her shoulder. "Possibly, but for once, just trust me."

She stormed away from him and began to examine the face of the cliff carefully. Finally, she said over her shoulder, "Alright, I'll trust you on this." Pointing a finger back at him, she added, "Don't make me regret it."

Shifting his pack, Zuko reached up for a handhold. "Then let's go." He was almost to the ledge when he looked over his shoulder and noticed Katara still on the ground. "Move your ass, waterbender," he snarled.

"I can't," she replied miserably. "I tried. My arms just won't support me yet. I need a few minutes to sit and recover."

He slung the pack onto the ledge and climbed back down. "We don't have a few minutes," he growled. "Get on my back."

"What?" she replied, startled.

"Let's go. For Agni's sake, just don't fall off."

Katara stared at him, flabbergasted, before doing as he ordered. She ignored the flare of nerves in her stomach and clasped her arms around his shoulders, biting back a squeak when his arms locked around her thighs as he hoisted her onto his back.

Summoning up every ounce of strength he had left, Zuko carefully made his way up the cliff, trying to ignore the death grip the waterbender had around his neck. Finally gaining the ledge, he pulled himself up and deposited her on the narrow lip next to him.

When he knelt down to shove the anemic-looking shrub aside, Katara quickly shrugged off her pack and pushed it in before doing the same with his. When he motioned her in, she hesitated.

"Move," he grumbled, reaching over to forcibly stuff her in. Letting the bush snap back into place, he added, "Don't move a muscle. I'll be back."

Katara huddled in the dark cave, hugging her knees.

* * *

After several long minutes of unbearable silence, Katara heard scraping on the rocks below, and when Zuko's outline appeared as he pushed the bush covering the mouth of the cave aside, she couldn't hold back a small sigh of relief. Enemy or not in the grand scheme of things, he was, for now, her only ally. "Where'd you go?" Katara asked as she hugged her knees in the small space to make room for him.

He knelt next to her and rummaged through one of the packs, finally coming up with the waterskin. "I had to erase our trail here," Zuko explained before gulping down some of the water. "I backed it up a few hundred yards and laid a new trail to the river. They'll think we travelled downstream from there, and we should be safe."

Katara nodded. "It's a smart move." She examined their cramped quarters more closely, thinking that she could tough it out here overnight if she had to, but the shudder that went through her reminded the waterbender that enclosed, dark places did strange things to her mental state. "How long are we supposed to stay here?"

Wiping water from his chin, Zuko sighed and eased his weight back against the wall. "A few days, maybe," he replied, ignoring her gasp of protest. "Long enough for us both to recover sufficiently to travel with any sort of efficiency."

The cave was barely wide enough to stretch her legs out, and the ceiling was so low that Katara had to bend almost double to avoid hitting her head. Zuko had had to crawl in. "You want us to stay in _here_ for _a couple of days!_" she hissed. Waving her arms about, she winced as they scraped the walls. "I can touch the walls just sitting here, Zuko, and you think we can stay here that long? Are you absolutely nuts?"

He took the heavier pack and began moving towards the back after her outburst, offering her no more than a cursory glance over his shoulder. "That's right, crawl as far away as you can, Zuko!" she called spitefully after him. "Ow!"

Zuko allowed himself a small smile after the pebble he tossed at the waterbender hit its mark. "If you'd stop bitching long enough to follow me, maybe you'd see why I chose this place."

Katara hadn't had the energy to find out how deep the little cave was while he was erasing their trail, which made his words all the harder to hear. Maybe it led back into a larger cavern or something, but judging by the decreasing width and height of the cave, she doubted it. The walls continued to close in around her until she could feel her hips brushing the sides, but just as she was about to make another doubting comment, up ahead she saw Zuko push aside another bush and crawl out into open air. Pushing the pack in front of her, she followed him out into a very small, completely enclosed ravine.

"There's a spring for water, but we'll have to use the food in the packs while we're here," he warned, oblivious to Katara's state of shock. "No fires or loud sounds. There are a few small trees for shade." With this, Zuko dropped beneath the nearest tree and lay flat on the ground, closing his eyes.

"How'd you find this place?" she asked in wonder, forgetting her earlier ire at the sight of such a perfect place to recuperate. Small, yes, but she was certain they could stay here long enough to get some much-needed sleep and for her healing abilities to return to full strength.

"Got lost when my sister told my guard I'd gone home," he said without opening his eyes, his voice flat. "It was getting dark, and I didn't want to be on the ground in case a predator came along, so I climbed up to that ledge and found the cave by accident. I spent the night in there. When morning came, I explored and found that it was more of a tunnel than a cave and that it led to this little natural hidey-hole. I never told anyone about it- I let them think I'd braved the woods. Good thing, I guess."

Katara nodded mutely. She'd never complain about having Sokka for a brother again. "How old were you?" she finally asked.

"Eight."

The response startled her, but the complete lack of emotion in that one word tugged at some small corner of her heart. "That's so young to have to spend the night alone in the woods."

Zuko kept his face perfectly blank as he lay there, but he mentally kicked himself for revealing a story that showed him at one of his weakest moments. He'd been terrified- just a frightened child wishing for his parents and imagining every sound to be a giant panther-wolverine coming to tear his guts out. "Boys in the Fire Nation are raised to be brave and stoic, no matter what the circumstances," he said before rolling away from her onto his side.

His movement, coupled with Katara's experience of growing up with a brother that had more pride than was good for him, allowed her to read the emotions beneath those warrior words. She smiled gently and made her way to a grassy knoll a few feet away. Laying down herself, she closed her eyes and said, "I couldn't have done it. And Zuko?" Taking his grunt for the response she assumed it was, she added, "Thank you. For… well, I guess you actually _did_ rescue me. Thanks for that."

"I told you," he said quickly and almost defensively. "I was told to take you in a vision, not because I wanted to or anything. I guess you're supposed to be useful or something."

Katara opened her eyes to glare at him. "A simple 'you're welcome' would have done nicely."

"Will you be able to get us to the Avatar?"

The sudden shift in topic was jarring, but Katara felt compelled to tell him, "After I'm back to full strength, I'll be able to do it easily, but I won't."

"What?" Zuko sputtered, sitting up. Through clenched teeth he growled, "That's why I brought you, waterbender! What good are you if you don't take me to the Avatar?"

"Well I'm not just going to take your word for it that you've suddenly turned good, Zuko," she cried. "I mean, it's not exactly like I imagined you betraying me before in Ba Sing Se- you know, right before you and your sister tried to kill me and Aang?"

"That was different," he ground out, clenching his fists and attempting not to lose his temper. "If I wasn't trying to change, I would have stayed at the palace, where I belong. Spirits, you're as bad as Azula!" He threw his hands in the air before turning away from her to glare impotently at the rock wall.

"Don't you ever compare me to that… that… maniac!" she hissed, on her feet and pointing a finger in his face before she could blink. "I'm _nothing _like her! I love my family and I don't want to kill everything on the planet that isn't from the Fire Nation!"

"No, you're nothing like Azula," he drawled, sarcasm dripping from every word. "You didn't become a master in less than a year; bending doesn't come as easily as breathing to you; everyone doesn't love you and think the sun shines out of your ass." His accusing look spoke volumes. "No, you're completely different from my sister."

Katara took several deep, cleansing breaths before she backed away from Zuko. "I refuse to apologize for being a good waterbender- it's part of who I am, and I never asked for it. It just is, so don't you dare hold it against me. It's like if I told you I hated you because you have golden eyes- it's a stupid reason, and you know it. If you're really serious about changing and wanting to help us, then you're going to have to prove yourself to me first- and remember, you've betrayed me before, so I'm not just going to pat your cheek and take you straight to Aang. It all depends on how you answer my questions and act whether or not I'll take you to the others."

"You've got no idea where he is, do you?" Zuko said with a frown. That was a big speech for something she could've said in a sentence or two.

"I know how to contact them if necessary," was the only response he received. "If you don't mind, I'm going to pass out from exhaustion now."

Long after he heard the waterbender begin to snore softly, Zuko stared at the sky, wondering if the nightmares would begin again. If he had any chance of making it through this, though, he had to risk it. Closing his eyes with a hitched sigh, he waited for sleep to claim him.

* * *

A/N: Come on, you know you want to hit that review button. Give me some sugar! 


	6. Chapter 6

**Edit: **Sorry, guys. For those of you that read this just after I posted it, I messed up the spelling of General Cheng's name- in this chapter, I accidentally had him as 'Xiang'. It's the same guy. Entirely my fault for the mix up. Sorry.

* * *

It was pitch black when Zuko woke, the expected twinkling of the stars overhead obscured by fat clouds. It looked as if the monsoons would be arriving earlier than expected this year; Zuko fervently hoped the seasonal rains would at least hold off until the waterbender brought him to the Avatar, but with his luck, the skies would open up tomorrow.

Sitting up, he waited several long, silent minutes for his eyes to adjust enough for him to navigate their sanctuary without stumbling over the waterbender.

_Ah,_ he thought to himself as he noticed a large lump lying on the ground a short distance away. _There she is_.

Rising to his feet without a sound, Zuko moved in her direction, coming to a knee a few feet from her face. After he had assured himself that she was deeply asleep, he crossed back to the other side of the enclosure and, with one last glance over his shoulder at her still form, began to relieve himself. Spirits-designated traveling companion or not, Zuko had no desire to empty his bladder within a thousand feet of her when she was awake. Unfortunately, he knew the topic was going to come up at some point, whether he liked it or not.

Feeling much better, Zuko moved back to where he had lain earlier and stared up at the ever-more ominous looking clouds. Shaking his head, he got up and moved under the nearest tree, which put him much closer to the waterbender than he would have liked.

He stared suspiciously at the girl's face, but it was nothing more than a gleam of white teeth and a shadowed visage in the almost-complete darkness. Rolling onto his side, he decided that he was safe. _She's too much of a goody-goody to kill me in my sleep,_ he thought. _Besides, she's still too dehydrated to be a real threat._ Satisfied with his conclusions, Zuko closed his eyes and slipped back into sleep without a thought for the absence of the nightmares that had plagued him since his return to the Fire Nation.

* * *

"Aargh!" Azula hurled a teacup against the wall as the echoes of her shriek bounced around the chamber. "When I find him, I'll-" 

_FWOOM!_

Ty Lee winced as the table she was about to place her teacup on was instantly reduced to a smoldering pile of ash. "Azula," she began hesitantly, but immediately swallowed the rest of her words in the face of Azula's wrath.

"Once a traitor, always a traitor," Azula growled as she stalked the perimeter of the room, looking for another target to vent her rage on. "I should have known he'd do such a disgustingly noble thing. If there's one constant in my brother's pathetic character, it's the urge to preserve life." She paused and eyed Mai thoughtfully. "But truthfully, there was no way he could have known I had the waterbender here." Turning fully in Mai's direction, she added softly, "At least, not unless he had help."

"Don't even say it," Mai drawled. "I had nothing to do with this, and you know it, Azula. Have I ever given you cause to doubt me? I've been courting his attentions on _your_ orders, not because I want to." She scowled darkly. "And if you say one word about that stupid crush I had when we were six -_six_, for Agni's sake- I swear, I'll vomit."

Watching in fascination, Ty Lee felt her muscles tighten in response as both Mai and Azula altered their stances almost imperceptibly. They were preparing to attack. "Come on, Azula, you don't really think Mai was involved, do you?" she pleaded as her friends faced off.

Dropping her hands a fraction of an inch to facilitate a quicker knife draw, Mai eyed the princess dispassionately. She was sure that if it came down to it, she could have a blade in her friend's heart before Azula could summon her fire.

In a blink, Azula had relaxed and moved off to the side. "I suppose not," she conceded. "If you really did have some sort of feelings for my brother, I'd think you'd want him here, not traipsing about the Fire Nation with another girl."

"Precisely," Mai agreed. She still did not move her hands. Azula had been known to use ruses before to get her opponents to lower their guards prematurely.

When a knock sounded at the door, it was Ty Lee who was forced to go open it. Azula and Mai were still studying one another as if a look could determine guilt or innocence.

Ahn, the Fire Lord's personal secretary, entered, his haughty demeanor declaring that Azula would not like his reasons for visiting. Unfurling a scroll, he announced, "Fire Lord Ozai, Chosen Child of Agni, has decreed that the Princess Azula, Heir to the Throne, shall be confined to her rooms forthwith for a period of thirteen days for incompetence in matters of state.

Pending the search for her brother, the newly re-exiled Prince Zuko, and her former prisoner, the waterbender called Katara, Princess Azula shall be stripped of her privileges, including attendance at War Council gatherings. She will not be asked to partake of her meals in the Fire Lord's presence until she has rectified her grave error in judgment.

Those who have fled the Fire Palace have been designated as enemies of the Crown and their return alive is not desired. Any method of capture is authorized."

Azula struggled to keep her features serene. "As the Fire Lord decrees, so shall it be," she said formally, bowing her head. "Princess Azula understands and will obey the Fire Lord's command."

As soon as the door closed on the officious little secretary, Azula turned to her companions. "Do you think Cheng had anything to do with Zuko's plot? After all, he was the one to suggest the specific timing of my outing with the Fire Nation soldiers." Her amber eyes narrowed. "If he's acting in collusion with my brother, I'll kill him."

Mai snorted. "As you pointed out earlier, I've spent a lot of time with Zuko since our return to the Fire Nation. Not only does he not know Cheng very well, but Cheng had no idea we had the waterbender in the first place. It makes no sense."

"I think it was that creepy guard you had hang the waterbender from your sauna," Ty Lee added. When the other girls' faces whipped around to her, she smiled. "What? I can't be an airhead all the time, can I? That guard, whatever his name was, knew about her, and then Zuko disappears with the waterbender as soon as you leave the palace and the guard turns up dead. Makes sense, doesn't it?"

Eyebrows almost in her hairline, Azula nodded slowly. "That does make sense," she said with some amazement. _Ty Lee reasoning something out before me. That's certainly a first._ "Now on to the solution, girls. As soon as my confinement is over, we're going out to capture Zuko and the waterbender. And when we find them-" Smoke puffed from her fists as a cruel smile twisted her lips. "We stop playing and simply dispose of them."

Shocked, Ty Lee first looked at Mai, but the taller girl was leaning dispassionately against the fireplace. Pulling at her braid, she turned to Azula. "Would you really kill your own brother?"

"Of course," Azula snorted. "I'd have killed him years ago if I could have gotten away with it, but this gives me the opportunity I need. I just have to find the sniveling turncoat first."

As Ty Lee continued to protest, Mai felt her stomach churn despite her calm demeanor. Keeping Zuko toothless in the palace was one thing, but to kill him? She quirked a brow when Azula grasped her shoulder.

"I'd like to make a nice welcoming sign for the Avatar and hang it on the gate into the city- a welcoming banner consisting of my brother and the waterbender's severed heads. With my firebending, your knife skills and Ty Lee's acupressure, they don't stand a chance. I hope they're having fun, because in thirteen days, they're dead."

Ty Lee and Mai chanced a look at each other, but neither noticed the other's unease.

* * *

After he jerked awake for the third time where he slumped on Appa's head, Aang finally conceded to himself that they either needed to land or he just had to trust that Appa would continue their heading without his guidance. 

"Can you handle things without me, boy, or do you need some rest, too?"

Appa snuffled loudly and Aang took that as the sign he supposed it was. They'd been flying for almost a full day now- he had to be exhausted. "All right, keep your eyes peeled for an island then."

An hour later, they were situated as comfortably as they were going to get on the small island Appa had chosen. It was little more than a sandy spit and a field of sea grass.

"At least you've got as much food here as you can eat," Aang sighed as Appa lifted his head and wuffed, sea grass peeking out of the corners of his mouth.

Settling back on the sand, Aang stared up at the darkening sky, wondering where his friends were. "I hope you're all safe. Don't worry, I'm coming for you guys."

* * *

After a long hike through the mountains that separated the low-lying coast from the majority of the island, Toph and Sokka finally arrived at the first campsite Katara had set up. 

Flopping down at the edge of the clearing, Sokka groaned dramatically. "Finally!" With relish, he yanked off his boots and rubbed his feet. "Another mile and my feet would have exploded!"

Toph merely raised an eyebrow. "Don't be such a wuss, Sokka."

"What?" He waved his arms wildly. "We've been walking _all day_!"

"Yeah, well, we're here now, so can you stop whining? I'm hungry."

Sokka wriggled his toes and stared up through the trees. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but we've got to ration our food, Toph. Let's save our stores as long as we can. Give me a few minutes to rest, and then we can go scrounge for some berries or something."

Laughing, Toph collapsed to the ground. "Oh, that's rich coming from you, Meathead. Weren't you the one that ate the very last scraps, crumbs and all, that we had as we crossed the Earth Kingdom Lowlands a couple months back?"

"I was sleep-eating!" he retorted. "Katara should have known better than to leave the food bag lying near my sleep sack!" Sitting up and jamming his feet into his boots, Sokka added pompously, "Besides, I'm wiser and more mature now."

With a ferocious cough, Toph spit into the bushes. "Yeah. You're a paragon of wisdom these days. C'mon, let's go find something to eat."

As they sat and ate around a small campfire later, Sokka brought up the topic that had been worrying him since they had arrived. "She's not here. I really thought she'd be here."

Toph swung around, shooting startled glances in all directions. "What? Katara's not here? Oh no! She must have been captured by the Fire Nation!"

The urge to lean forward and smack the younger girl was strong, but Sokka knew she'd bust out the earthbending on him without a second thought if he did. He settled for a scowl she couldn't see. "Fine, be sarcastic, but I'm telling you, my gut says something's wrong."

"Your gut told you to eat all our food in the Lowlands, too, but you were still hungry when you woke up." Feeling his pulse quicken, Toph relented. "Fine, you're worried. Do you see any signs of a struggle, or any marks she left you around here as a sign?"

Sokka poked at the fire with a gusty sigh. "No marks of a struggle or any sort of distress message at all. All I found was the code we worked out in advance for the directions to the next campsite scratched into that banana palm over there."

A contented belch came as Toph rubbed her stomach. "See? She's probably just being a busy little Katara and setting up the other camps. There's what, a dozen, that she had to make? And they're all like five miles apart or something?"

"Yeah, about that," Sokka admitted as he unrolled his sleep sack. He hung his head. "You really think she's okay, don't you?"

Toph nodded as she clambered to her feet. "Yup. I think she's sleeping right now, alone and safe." She gestured at the fire. "Want me to put it out?"

"Sure." Sokka eased into his bag with a sigh of pleasure. "G'night."

With a stomp, the fire was smothered by a pile of loose dirt, and Toph turned and quickly erected her earth tent for the night. "Yeah, you too."

* * *

Katara woke before Zuko, a fact she found quite odd. Weren't firebenders supposed to rise with the sun? It was hard to tell with the heavy layer of clouds overhead, but judging by the sun's position in the sky, it seemed he had missed his mark by a number of hours. 

_That can't be a good sign_, she thought to herself as she crawled to where he lay. Kneeling next to him, she checked his breathing quickly to ease the sudden worry that he was unconscious or ill.

He lay on his stomach, sprawled across the ground, and though his breathing was deep and even, he made no indication that he was aware she approached, something she thought was probably out of character for a boy raised to be a warrior and a firebender from swaddling clothes.

"Zuko," she called softly. No response. She touched his shoulder hesitantly, but he lay as still as death. Sighing, she moved away. If he slept this deeply all the time, he was lucky to have lived to- what sixteen years? Seventeen?

She assumed he was about Sokka's age, but in truth, she had no idea, and that was a startling realization. Her enemy, the man that had chased her little makeshift family across the globe and back again, the one that had betrayed her personally beneath Ba Sing Se, was no more than a boy her brother's age. And his sister, who had far outpaced him as far as deadly enemies went, was even younger still- maybe even Katara's own age.

Making her way to the small spring, Katara gloved her hands with water and began to fix the damage her captivity under Azula's doubtful mercy had wrought. The bruises, though numerous, were easy fixes and required little concentration, and the raw marks where she had been bound were also relatively quick to heal. Much of the damage she had sustained had been from the severe dehydration, and Zuko's ministrations had thankfully managed to ameliorate the worst of those symptoms. Still, she was surprised by the amount of water that absorbed into her skin as she ran her hands over her body.

As she released the water, Katara marveled at how much better her body felt. Healing required a lot of effort on her part, and so she wasn't at all surprised at the wave of exhaustion that washed over her when she took her first step away from the pool. "You need to eat, silly," she admonished herself.

Returning to Zuko's side, Katara dug the small pouch of nuts and dried fruits out of his pack and, studying him once more, began to eat. His face, always so pale and thin, now bordered on gaunt and his unusually pale complexion had turned sallow and faintly bruised. The hollow of his cheek served as a harsh counterpoint to the hard slash of his cheekbone, and his lips, even in sleep, were pinched into a frown. As her eyes moved over his features, Katara wondered what lessons had so recently etched their brutal truths on him; whatever else he was, Zuko had always been reasonably attractive, completely unlike this haggard boy.

Popping another piece of fruit in her mouth, Katara smiled ruefully at the turn in her thoughts. "Keep this up and you'll be trying to mother him like you do Sokka and Aang," she muttered.

"Wha's at?"

Though one half of his face was still pressed to the ground and he hadn't moved a muscle, Katara felt as though her blood pressure had skyrocketed when she found one sleepy, slanted golden eye studying her.

Yawning as he levered himself to a sitting position, Zuko reached out and snagged the bag of food hanging from the waterbender's slack grip. "What did you say?" he repeated before tossing a handful of nuts in his mouth.

"Nothing." She immediately had to fight the impulse to jump to her feet and hurry to the other side of their small hideaway. "I was just talking to myself." Forcing herself to meet his gaze, Katara couldn't help the surprised chuckle that tore itself out of her mouth.

"What?" Zuko eyed the waterbender, half-expecting the odd female to jump to her feet and hide behind the largest rock she could find.

With one hand firmly clapped over her mouth, Katara waved vaguely at Zuko's face. Hoping she had the urge to laugh stifled for the moment, she said quickly, "You've got some stuff on you."

The need to snap at her almost overrode Zuko for a moment as he brushed dirt and small bits of leaves from his face, but he reminded himself that the waterbender wouldn't let him anywhere near the Avatar if he didn't make a serious effort to behave himself. He nodded. "Thank you."

Katara bit her lip as her eyes met his. "You, er, you missed some. It's all in your hair, too."

Swiping haphazardly at his hair with one hand, Zuko dug back into the little food pouch. He was starving. "Better?" he asked after several moments.

Being a sister her whole life had left Katara with many habits simply far too ingrained to comply with logical thoughts about grooming suddenly-helpful enemies. She leaned forward and brushed the remaining debris from his hair without thought, only to freeze when she felt him go rigid. Dropping her hand as if she had been burned, Katara stared at the ground. "Sorry," she said, praying the heat on her face was from the mostly-obscured sun, not a blush.

Zuko forced his muscles to relax; he needed to convince her that she should take him to the Avatar, and if he was going to do so, they needed to clear the air between them. "Thank you for your help," he offered, and if it came out somewhat stilted, it wasn't for lack of effort on his part. Dropping the food pouch onto her lap, Zuko rearranged himself so he could face her fully. "We need to have a discussion at some point, waterbender, and the sooner we do, the better we'll both feel."

Katara left the food in her lap untouched as she studied the boy across from her. He seemed earnest and humble, but he'd fooled her with that once before below Ba Sing Se. Outrage suddenly threatened to choke her. She scrambled to her feet. "Oh yes, Zuko -or should I say _Prince Zuko_- there are lots of things I've got to say to you now that I'm not in imminent danger of being barbequed by your sister. Why don't we start with the main point- why did you betray your uncle, who came to us to help save _you_, and try to kill me and Aang?"

His eyes widened fractionally at the sudden, intense emotion burning on her face. _It's hatred_, he thought, and that hatred all stemmed from one particular moment, one choice he made. Amazing how a life could turn on a single moment.

A sudden flash of insight -stronger than any he'd ever had before- came to him without warning. She wasn't just enraged about his betrayal of Iroh and his role in Azula's assault in the crystal catacombs; she was furious that she had shown him compassion and a small amount of trust, only to have it thrown back in her face _just before_ he betrayed his uncle and fought her and the Avatar. _Ah_. He studied her carefully as he replied. "Let's not start with lies, waterbender. Your main question isn't about Uncle or the Avatar. It's about why I betrayed _you_, isn't it?"

She couldn't help it. Katara gasped, and if he had been standing, she would have lashed out and slapped him. "That's not true!" she ground out from between clenched teeth, and suddenly, his betrayal felt as if it was moments ago, not months. "You left your uncle, who has done nothing but love you and try to protect you from the day we ever saw you, to take your vicious bitch of a sister's side." Her voice rose, and she was yelling before she knew it. "You tried to kill Aang, who has tried again and again to convince you to be a better person, and you tried to kill me minutes after I offered to waste my only vial of sacred water on fixing your lying face! How _could_ you, Zuko?" Her eyes filled with angry tears. "I thought you said you had changed."

He echoed the same words he'd yelled at her as they exchanged whips of water and fire months ago in the caverns below Ba Sing Se. "I _have_ changed." As an afterthought, he added, "And I have never tried to kill you." He ignored her bitter laugh and stood to quickly take her arm, forcing her to meet his gaze. "I'm different, waterbender, and I have been since Ba Sing Se, but I didn't have the courage to accept that until very recently."

"That's easy enough to say," she spat, trying to pull from his grasp.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, so spare me the condescension. I'll accept it after you've turned down everything you've desired -no, needed- for three long years, you sanctimonious little peasant."

"So why the change of heart? One little dream turns everything inside out for you, Zuko? You expect me to believe that?"

He laughed bitterly. "I hadn't slept in days -almost a week, to be precise- when I fell unconscious. I'd been having nightmares that prevented me from sleeping well since we returned from Ba Sing Se, but this time, I had a dream of Uncle."

Looking at her sideways, Zuko tried to judge her reaction. "It was a prophetic dream, I think, or possibly a Sending." He nodded. "Most likely a Sending. Uncle was in that dream, and he showed me what needed to be done, and as I told you, you were part of the bargain." He swept a hand around. "And here we are, waterbender, a high-and-mighty peasant and a prince brought low by a conscience that wouldn't let him sleep."

Zuko released her and turned away. "Given a long life in the palace where I go slowly mad from lack of sleep and guilt or a short life where I aid the Avatar in toppling my father, I chose the latter. At least in this scenario, I have a chance of freeing Uncle."

Katara studied his face for a long moment, looking for some physical sign that he was lying. With a deep breath, she nodded sharply and walked as far away from him as the clearing allowed.

Feeling as though a fist in his gut had unclenched, Zuko stooped to retrieve the food bag. "That went better than expected," he mumbled to himself.

* * *

Cheng knelt meekly before the Fire Lord, head bowed, reminding himself over and over to consider his every word carefully, as his entire future rode on his ability to satisfy both Azula and her father's demands for utter loyalty. 

"Of course, my lord," Cheng responded automatically to Ozai's hissed question. "I have been willing to sacrifice my life, my sons' lives, for the Fire Crown for decades, and I was instrumental in your bid to coalesce authority after Fire Lord Azulon's passing, was I not? Have I ever given you cause to doubt me, my lord?"

The answer rumbled out at him from the imposing Screen of Eternal Flame. "No, Cheng, you have always been my man; however, you must admit that the timing looks bad for you."

Cheng flung himself to the ground, kowtowing. Ozai was looking for complete obedience. "The timing was spectacularly bad, my lord, but for all his faults, the banished prince is not stupid. May your humble servant suggest that Prince Zuko was simply waiting for his opportunity to move?"

"I know that already!" Ozai shouted, the flames soaring to the ceiling reflecting the Fire Lord's ire. "Azula was a fool for not securing her prisoner better, and she has been punished for that oversight. I do not need excuses from anyone else, Cheng!" The flames flickered and subsided to their normal levels, and the Fire Lord's next words were spoken in his normal silky tones. "Do you have any suggestions to rectify the matter? Speak freely."

Staring at the floor and collecting his thoughts rapidly, Cheng looked up. "If it pleases my lord, I think we should not overestimate the effects of the prince's defection with the Avatar's friend. Even should she survive and they make contact with the Avatar, he will want to avenge his friend's treatment at the princess' hands."

Cheng nodded to himself. He continued, "The Avatar, as my lord so wisely suggested previously, will bring the fight to you, likely on the Day of Black Sun. Marshalling our defenses and planning for every contingency will not only leave us ready to capture and punish the banished prince, but it will also allow my lord to capture and neutralize the Avatar. With the Avatar and the prince confined in the dungeons and the Day of Black Sun behind us, the Fire Lord may lead us to a glorious final victory when Sozin's Comet arrives."

The dark outline of Ozai did not move. After long minutes, he said, "You speak truly, Cheng. Perhaps I was not mistaken to take you on as Royal Advisor after all. But-" The flames surged. "Should you betray me, in words or thoughts, in any way, I will familiarize you, your wife and your daughter with the Death of a Thousand Cuts." When Cheng flinched, the Fire Lord laughed mercilessly. "Dismissed."

Cheng hurried to the double doors of the throne room, but before he could slip away, Ozai's cold voice added, "And your death will come last, Cheng, so that you may follow your women's screams to the Spirit World."

Cheng fled.

* * *

Pathik felt a wheeze rattle through his chest, but he let his physical distress wash away on the tides of his spirit. His daily hike through the mountains grew more arduous with each passing season, but the wizened guru refused to admit that he could possibly grow too old for the way of life he loved.

With pleasure, Pathik surveyed the gardens he emerged into as he crested the final portion of the mountain that led to the southern face of the Air Temple. The once-meticulously kept plant beds were now untamed riots of color and texture, and he admitted to himself that he preferred the gardens as they were now to the tidy, clipped borders they had been when he was a child. He often meditated on why a people so in tune with nature, so devoted to the natural order of things, felt the need to plan every aspect of their gardens. Yes, he much preferred the splendor of plants left to grow on their own.

Coming into the somewhat-dilapidated terrace that housed shrubs so overgrown that their branches sagged with their own weight, Pathik paused. All was not in harmony here. His hearing, surprisingly acute for a man of his years, led him straight to a small bird flopping in helpless circles in the dirt. Speaking softly to it in a tongue he had not spoken in decades, Pathik gently picked it up and settled it in the soft folds of cloth tied at his waist.

"Do not worry, little one," he crooned. "You are in pain, and you are frightened, but a broken wing can be mended. Perhaps we can be of service to one another."

With a final distressed chirrup, the little purple tern-martin peered out at the old man from beneath an overhang of cloth.

Pathik chuckled. "You are correct to be wary of strangers, my fine friend, but I will promise you that you will be winging off to far-flung lands before you know it."

* * *

Kuei felt somewhat foolish sitting there in the dirt. He was supposed to be trying to meditate, but he was finding it far more difficult than Guru Pathik had led him to believe.

"Arrange yourself in the lotus position in a peaceful place -it does not matter where, so long as it feels right in your heart- and quiet your mind. Let your worries go. Allow who you truly are in your spirit to come to the surface, and try to examine one thing in your life," the little old man had said with a soft smile. "That is meditation. Breathe, and be. Use meditation to better understand who you are, so that you may better understand who you hope to become."

Kuei wriggled; he had lost feeling in his legs from sitting in the proscribed position. No matter that he had spent the better part of an hour trying to just 'breathe and be', all he accomplished was to think about what he was doing wrong. It had to be something. How he longed for an instructor from his court at the Earth Kingdom to miraculously appear to show him how to do this properly. Heaving a great sigh of frustration, he staggered to his numb feet.

"Some people find meditation difficult to achieve in the beginning, but perseverance is a great personal asset."

Kuei started. "Guru Pathik! You startled me; I didn't hear you approaching."

The old man's eyes twinkled. "These old feet have a bit of stealth left in them, it seems. Do not despair, Earth King, the art of introspection will come to you. In the meantime, I have a task I was hoping you would see to for me while I meditate before I prepare the banana-onion juice for our evening meal."

Adjusting his spectacles, Kuei grimaced. "Banana-onion juice… again. I can't wait." He finally nodded. "Of course, whatever help you need I would be glad to provide, but I have to ask that you stop addressing me as the Earth King- that title is no longer mine. Kuei will do."

Bowing, Pathik gave a little hum that could have been either a sign of acquiescing or simply indicating that he had heard. He held out the folded fabric that he had been wearing earlier, and Kuei could see something small and bandaged adjust itself in the makeshift nest.

"It seems we have another guest that needs nursing." Pathik smiled down at the bird and spoke softly to it in a language Kuei had never heard before. When the little creature had quieted, Pathik gently transferred the bundle to Kuei's hands.

Kuei stared down in dismayed confusion. "What am I supposed to do? I don't know anything about injured birds."

"It is frightened, and young, and injured. It is far from its home and family, and needs compassion and care."

"But-" Kuei looked up to protest more vigorously. The old guru had disappeared, seemingly into thin air. Sighing, Kuei carefully cradled his new charge and sank onto a stone bench. Not knowing what else to do, he began to sing quietly to the little bird.

Pathik watched from atop the stone wall, his favorite place to meditate. The breeze was good up there. If the spirits saw fit to leave the Earth King in his presence, it must have been for a reason. A king that did not know how to rule was useless, and his lands would need a strong ruler once the Avatar restored balance to the world. After all, it wouldn't do to have the Earth Kingdom launch a war on the Fire Nation a few decades down the road.

Pathik smiled in approval as the Earth King began to sing to the bird. "Safety, companionship and music," the guru whispered to the breeze that flowed around him. "The Earth King is learning his first lesson well- a country is comprised of individuals, all of whom need their ruler to understand and try to meet their needs." He closed his eyes and began to meditate.

* * *

A/N: 

Step One: Finish big, honking chapter.

Step Two: Curse out author for taking so damn long to post.

Step Three: Remind self that Avatar: Book Three starts in less than two months, bringing on euphoric happiness.

Step Four: Notice Purple 'Review' button.

Step Five: In moment of magnanimity, press button and leave lovely review.

Once again, I hope you enjoyed this installment, and thank you to everyone who took the time to review!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: As most of you know, I'm appallingly slow at updating, but I'm not usually _this_ bad. I even had most of this chapter done for the last month or so, but I just haven't had the time to polish it up. I'm sure most of you don't care _why _I was so long this time, but it boils down to me returning to college and trying to browbeat the local school system into placing my son in Early Intervention classes sometime before the sun consumes the earth like they're legally obligated to. But I am an obnoxiously tenacious Yankee in the South; I don't care if they hate me for being pushy, I want my son to have the best chance at a normal life as he's capable of. Now he's in school and getting therapy, and I am content.

Yeah; sorry. None of you want to read about my personal crap. _Ahem._ On with the story!

* * *

When the morning sun rose, Katara was awake to greet it. The night before, she had been exhausted, falling asleep almost immediately after eating the food ration Zuko had passed her. She had even been too tired to argue when she'd noticed that her portion was almost twice the size of his, but her eyes had snapped open a few hours later and they hadn't closed in sleep since. 

As the first blush of dawn began to brighten the darkness around her, Katara readjusted her cloak, settling deeper into its warm folds. She watched silently as Zuko stirred and rolled to his feet. His intentions were not clear until he stumbled to the far side of the clearing and began to fumble with the sash holding his pants up. Her face flamed as she swiftly lay down and squeezed her eyes shut.

Barely daring to breathe, muscles frozen stiff, Katara listened for the sounds of Zuko returning to his blanket. Even after his light snores told her that it was safe to sit up, she lay perfectly still and stared at the lone star visible in the dawn sky. _Tui and La_,_ that was mortifying._

_

* * *

Dawn is breaking; eight more days of this ridiculous punishment. _Staring at the ceiling with her hands folded behind her head, Azula blew out a frustrated breath. "At the risk of sounding like Mai's prettier, smarter sister, I'm bored out of my wits. Speaking of, where is our apathetic friend?" 

Around a yawn, Ty Lee offered sleepily, "She doesn't like doing the sleepover thing anymore. She said we outgrew that when we were five."

"It's not like I have anything else to do these days." Azula rolled her head to the side, glancing at her companion. "I'm wide awake; find something to entertain us for a little while, Ty Lee."

"Like what? Ooh, wait a second. I've got something!" A few minutes of rustling and banging around on the other side of the room ended with a delighted, "Ready!" The chirping response was accompanied by the sound of fabric swishing across the floor. Ty Lee, swathed in Azula's robes of state and with the worked metal Fire Nation emblem that she kept hanging on the wall perched precariously atop her head, strolled forward.

As her friend stepped out of the shadows that lingered away from the fireplace, Azula couldn't help but laugh. Ty Lee had hijacked the laces from Azula's armor and managed to stick one to her upper lip, giving the appearance of a long, thin moustache. With the robes and the flame on her head, there was no mistaking whom the girl was impersonating. "Princess Azula, you are a failure. Less a failure than your brother or your uncle or mother, but a failure nonetheless." Ty Lee scowled down on her friend and continued in a ridiculous impersonation of Ozai's rich baritone.

Azula smiled lazily; a bit of mockery suited her mood at the moment. "How have I failed, Father? I've wounded or killed the Avatar, captured and subjugated the last bastion of the Earth Kingdom and manipulated the situation so that even had my brother stayed, I would have gained the throne at your death, not him. I have failed at nothing; I've only earned a rather boring vacation."

Ty Lee did a fair imitation of Ozai's scowl. "You are a prodigy at matters of state, true." She tapped her finger on her jaw. "But you are not womanly enough."

Rolling to her knees, Azula clasped her hands to her heart and plastered a syrupy look on her face as she batted her eyes at Ty Lee. "Are you saying that I'm not pretty enough, Father? That I should give up firebending and my studies of strategy and tactics to perfect the arts of kohl and rouge?"

Pointing her finger at her friend, Ty Lee struggled to suppress a giggle. "Wear a dress once in awhile. Flirt with the sons of my advisors. Sneak out of your room at night to meet a boy that I thoroughly disapprove of."

Azula bowed. "As my lord commands," she said. Stretching, she opened her mouth to tell Ty Lee to order their breakfast, but Ty Lee cut her off.

"And change your hairstyle; that bun is utilitarian and unflattering."

Azula flicked a small flame at Ty Lee, who dodged it easily. "That was unnecessary," she drawled. "There's nothing wrong with my hair." Stretching again, she slid from the bed. "Well, that was a fun ten minutes. What else can we do for the next eight days to keep me from sliding into a pit of unending boredom?" Her eyes lit up. "Fancy sneaking out to the training area to practice?"

* * *

Zuko folded his blanket neatly, stowing it back in his bag and said, "I thought we'd do a little sparring today to make sure we're prepared for when we leave here. If you're up to it." 

Katara scowled from where she reclined against the base of a tree. "Of course I'm up to it, Zuko." Scorn flashed in her eyes. "I'm a master waterbender; my skills haven't evaporated because I haven't used them for a few days."

He snorted, but kept his face averted so that she couldn't read his expression. She may not have been ready to admit it, but there was still something wrong with the waterbender, something that he couldn't quite identify. Her face was drawn and he knew she was restless in the night, but he was certain it was physical. He'd started giving her larger portions of food three days ago, but she was steadily losing weight. A girl almost half his weight getting twice the food he was shouldn't be losing weight, but she was. Now when she bent over the spring for a drink of water, her spine was visible.

She waited for him to turn back to her with a sarcastic comment, but Zuko just stood there and refused to face her. "Oh, spit it out before you choke on it, Zuko," Katara sighed.

"There's still something wrong with you." Zuko turned and looked for her reaction to his words. "I don't know what, but if you're not well, then we've got no chance once we leave here, and we have to leave soon. We've got food for two more meals, three if we're lucky."

"Two more meals? Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Katara latched onto the immediate problem.

Glaring at her, Zuko replied swiftly, "Spirits, you're an idiot sometimes." Ignoring her squawk of outrage, he added, "We've got to leave tomorrow at the latest, and you're sick. You're also a healer. Do something about it."

Well. As tempting as it was to go stick a finger in Zuko's face and tell him off for talking to her like that, he had a point. If they were that short on food, they had to move out and, to be honest with herself, the trek to the nearest campsite she had set up was not looking too appealing at the moment. Without a word, Katara made her way to the small spring for a healing session.

Zuko warily eyed his companion as she walked to the water's edge, waiting for her to turn around and yell at him or smack him with the water, but she didn't. When she raised glowing hands from the pool, he stood quietly as she slid those hands methodically over her arms and legs. He'd never watched a waterbender heal before, having been too busy when she'd healed herself when they'd first arrived, and if the niggling thought crossed his mind once or twice that she might be capable of healing his scar, he put it down to wishful thinking.

* * *

"You were right." Those were possibly the most appalling words Katara had ever spoken. When Zuko raised his head from his meditative pose to stare at her, she smiled. The words were apparently as jarring to him as they were to her. 

"What?" The question was out of his mouth before Zuko could blink, and he frowned. Letting the waterbender break his meditation with three simple words was shameful. How could three words have such an effect on him?

Katara had seen Zuko in many moods over their various encounters, from enraged to cajoling to defeated and confused, but she had never seen him mildly disgruntled. His forehead furrowed and he was frowning, but the lack of bright anger in his eyes let her know that he wouldn't lose his temper anytime soon, and that led her to the amusing thought that he _would_ lose his temper if he knew she could read him that easily.

Suspiciously, he added, "Why are you smiling like that?"

Swallowing her good humor, Katara repeated, "I said that you were right. I needed another healing session, and I was too stubborn to realize it."

"That was too easy." Zuko's eyes narrowed. "What are you up to?" He sprang to his feet. "If you think that because you're stronger now you can ditch me, think again, waterbender. I'm ten times the tracker you are, and when I catch up with you-"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second, Zuko. No one said anything about ditching anyone." _Yet_, she added mentally. _But if I don't trust you by the time we find Sokka and Toph…_ "All I'm saying is that you were right; I wasn't fully healed."

He stared at her for a long moment and struggled to keep his jaw from falling open. "That's it? I was right?"

She shot him a nasty look that clearly said, _Spirits, you're thick. "_Yes, Zuko, that's it. It was a simple statement indicating that you were helpful and correct, not a subtle hint at my future intentions to supposedly ditch you."

"Fine, then. You're welcome." He turned to walk away.

Katara sighed and turned away herself. _That was quite probably the most bizarre 'thank you-you're welcome' exchange ever in the history of the planet._ This boy… man… whatever he was, confused her. He was so different from everyone else she had ever known. So mistrustful, so ready to believe the worst about himself and others. Yet he wasn't completely evil; he still tried to do the right thing sometimes. Katara sighed. If he had a moral compass, he had lost magnetic north a long time ago. Maybe, just maybe, she could help him find it again.

"Do you want to spar?"

His voice came from behind the tree she was leaning against. Startled, Katara whipped around. "What?"

Zuko smiled when her head appeared around the trunk of the tree. They had an affinity for trees, it seemed. "I asked if you wanted to spar. Practice. We haven't had any practice since we left the palace- longer for you. If you're healed now, shouldn't we sharpen up before we leave tomorrow morning?"

"Now we're leaving tomorrow morning?"

He sighed. She refused to make anything easy for him. "It makes the most sense. That way, we have one meal to take with us in case we can't find anything right away." He dropped into a fighting stance. "Now do you want to spar or not?"

Katara drew the water from the spring with a practiced move of her arm and settled into a basic defensive move, the water poised around her. "What are you waiting for, Zuko? I thought you wanted to fight?"

"What are you, crazy?" he asked, dropping his hands. "We're hiding. Don't you think big puffs of steam coming from the forest would alert everyone of exactly where we are? I meant _spar_; the moves without the elements, just to get our reactions back to where they should be."

Oh, right. _Spar,_ Katara thought with a wince. "Yes, well, I've never actually done that kind of sparring. It's pointless for waterbenders, because we don't do close combat."

"So how do you practice?" he asked curiously.

Katara shrugged. "We just do the moves by ourselves and visualize the opponent, or we practice with another master, someone who won't get hurt."

He gave her a strange look. "So you always use water?"

"Well, yeah, I guess I do," Katara said after a moment of thought. "Firebenders don't?"

Scowling, Zuko replied, "Of course we use the techniques you use- there would be a nation full of faces like mine if we didn't." He waved her off when Katara's face softened and she opened her mouth. "No, I don't want your pity; I'm just saying that fire is destructive by nature."

"That's what Jeong Jeong said!" Katara cried.

Zuko's mouth fell open. "You've met Jeong Jeong the Deserter? Really?" After she nodded, he said, "Well, that's a story for later. I was saying that in addition to the training styles you mentioned, firebenders also use sparring without the elements to sharpen our reaction time and hone our technique." He wished he had the next words back. "Do you want to try? I'll teach you."

Doubtfully, Katara said, "I don't know, Zuko. As I said, I don't do hand-to-hand. My brother does- once we meet up with him, the two of you can…" she trailed off. "Never mind. You and Sokka fighting, even practicing fighting, is a bad idea. Bad with a capital 'B'."

He snorted. "I'd mop the floor with your brother. Again."

Feeling her hackles rise, Katara shot back, "That's not the point of sparring, is it?"

"I suppose not," Zuko allowed. He waved his hands. So would you like to learn a little about sparring or not?"

"Yeah, I think I could do with a little," Katara said as she raised her hands and moved closer to him. "All right, what do we do first?"

* * *

Katara flopped on her back next to Zuko and panted, "No more. I am exhausted." Reaching down a hand to rub at her shin, she added, "And bruised. Definitely bruised." 

Zuko smiled up at the hazy sun as he lay on the grass. "You did well, and better than well for your first attempt at close quarters combat."

Katara puffed up a little at the praise. "It makes sense that I would. I'm a good fighter from a distance, so I should be good up close, too."

"Not exactly," he replied amiably, tucking his hands beneath his head. "You need much faster reflexes in close, but you have the instincts for it. That last leg sweep you gave me was good."

She grinned. "I only did that because I knew what you were going to do next. Between me and Aang, I've seen you fight too many times. I knew you were going left."

He grinned back. "Let's see how confident you are when I don't hold back on you."

"What do you mean hold back?"

"I was _teaching_ you," he said with a sigh. "It's not as if I was going to flatten you just to prove that I'm better."

It stuck in her craw, and her next words came out petulant. "Yeah, but we both know who is the better bender, don't we?"

He snorted. "We're pretty evenly matched in bending."

Katara laughed cruelly. "I squashed you like a bug in the North Pole, and I've only gotten stronger since then."

"What, and you think I was eating chocolates and drinking tea while you practiced?" He asked, turning on his side to look at her.

"No," she defended hotly, "but posing as a refugee in Ba Sing Se didn't give you a lot of chances to bend, did it?"

"No," he allowed, "but in the caverns below Ba Sing Se, I found that I was stronger than ever. You didn't beat me there."

She pointed a finger at his chest. "And that's another thing, Zuko…" She trailed off. "Do you even have a last name?" she asked suddenly.

"No, I'm just Zuko of the House of Agni," he replied in some confusion.

"It makes it hard to tell you off if you only have one name," Katara sighed. At his utterly uncomprehending look, she expounded. "Whenever my brother or I was in trouble when I was little, my mother would yell out our full names. It would stop us cold." She shook her head. "But I was saying that there's something you and I need to settle about what happened in the catacombs below Ba Sing Se, Zuko."

A phantom touch on his cheek tickled for a moment as he lay on his side and stared at the girl a few scant feet away. "What?"

She gave him the full weight of her blue gaze. "You stole my move," she accused.

"I did not!" He defended immediately, jackknifing to his feet to glare down at her.

Pushing to her own feet, she growled, "You stole the idea for the water whip. That's a waterbending move, not firebending, and don't you dare tell me otherwise, because I've seen other firebenders fight, Zuko. You. Stole. My. Move."

Zuko dropped into a defensive stance facing his irate travelling companion and, because he was fed up with her sheer pigheadedness, growled, "Maybe I did. What are you going to do about it?" His eyes widened as the move in question snaked towards his face.

* * *

A?N: So what do you think? You like it? Any and all reviews are appreciated, so make with the clicky-clicky, please. :)

As a bit of fun, whoever submits the 100th review gets a ficlet of their choosing from me, be it Avatar or another series/book universe you're into. Have fun!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Shock of shocks, but I've finished a new chapter. My New Year's resolution this year was to finish all of my works-in-progress, so I hope you like the new chapter (and review!). The next should be finished next week.

Enjoy!

-MBA

* * *

Azula was lounging on the railing of her balcony overlooking the private gardens, the training square just visible through an arched gate. She sighed. "I can't believe Father would ban me from the training grounds during this stupid little lesson of his. It's counterproductive; if I'm going to catch that traitor brother of mine, I need to maintain my form." Her fingers flexed restlessly on the railing.

Fidgeting with her braid, Ty Lee looked around the spacious room. "Azula, I know you're pretty much confined here for awhile, but I really need to go home soon. My mom has sent five messages in the last two days." At her friend's snort, she ventured tentatively, "Well, I have been gone a really long time, you know, with the circus and our trip to the Earth Kingdom and everything." Her grey eyes widened slightly when Azula slewed her head around to pin her friend with a hard amber gaze. "I'm just saying," Ty Lee defended uncomfortably.

"Really, Azula, she needs to go." Without even a knock, Mai slid into the room on silent feet, closing the door behind her. "Two of her sisters cornered me at the market and wanted me to tell them everything Ty Lee has been up to." The thin girl shuddered, her lips twisted in distaste. "Tae Min wanted to come back with me to see you."

Ty Lee sat up straight, her eyes suddenly sparkling. "She did? Really, Mai? Oh, I bet she's gotten so big!" she squealed, vaulting up and clasping her hands against her chest. "Is she big? Does she look like the rest of us yet? I bet she's really pretty!"

A quiet knock at the door interrupted the conversation before it got any further. "Your tea, Princess." A small boy of perhaps ten bowed his way into the room, clutching a heavily laden tea tray to his thin chest. Trembling lightly, his brown eyes darted from Mai to Ty Lee before finally settling on Azula, who was still leaning against the balcony railing. Sliding the tray to one hand, he began to lay out the elaborate spread, his arm shaking visibly with the effort to balance the heavy platter. A china dish piled high with sugar slid precariously close to one edge and in his haste, the serving boy overcorrected. A small jug of milk crashed to the floor, the liquid flying out in every direction. He froze, horrified, for a long moment before laying down the tray and throwing himself to his knees. "A thousand pardons, your Highness!" he cried, his eyes glued to the floor as he collected shards of china without a care for his hands.

A small spurt of flame shot into the room, catching the boy across the cheek. Yelping, he raised terrified eyes momentarily before bending back to his task, mopping up milk with one hand and scavenging the broken pieces of jug with the other. "I'm sorry, Princess! I-"

"You'll be quiet," Azula commanded, her voice all the more menacing for its lack of inflection. "Clean up this mess, have Cook send in another tray with a servant that can do his job properly and report to the Palace Keeper for punishment." Striding into the room, she shoved a small boot into the boy's side. "Faster, you!" she snapped. Grumbling, she added, "That's what happens when Cook lets the bastard child of some kitchen whore that got knocked up by the first decent-looking soldier that would bed her serve the royal family."

Mai and Ty Lee looked at one another for a long moment before Mai shrugged and moved to a lounging couch in the corner.

"Azula," Ty Lee said hesitantly, eyes glued to the small, trembling boy. "It was an accident."

The princess laughed viciously. "Accident? Do you think a Fire Nation royal can tolerate 'accidents'? What if he had accidentally dropped that on my foot and damaged my nerves or broken a bone? What then, Ty Lee?" She slapped a fist into her other hand, sending the already skittish boy into a round of silent tears. "Failure is not acceptable!"

Frowning, Ty Lee jumped to her own feet, unconsciously moving closer to the child. "He's just a kid, Azula!" Her voice was an odd mixture of pleading and anger.

Eyes snapping, Azula toed the boy in the ribs again, lips quirking when he sniffled loudly, but her gaze was all for her friend. "And what are you suggesting I do, Ty Lee? Pat him on the head and tell him it's all right?"

Maybe it was the earlier news of her own sister, the baby of the family that she hadn't seen in three long years, but Ty Lee drew on some unknown well of defiance. "Yes!" When Azula's hand crept in the boy's direction, Ty Lee knew exactly what was about to occur.

"Well it's not all right, Ty Lee, and I don't tolerate failure. I'll teach him a lesson in taking care in the presence of his betters!"

Several things happened, seemingly at the same time. Azula pointed one finger at the boy at her feet, who wailed piteously and raised his hands to protect his head. Mai sat forward to tell Ty Lee that it wasn't worth it, but the girl erupted forward in a flurry of motion.

A stunned silence fell as Azula stared at Ty Lee, who had landed on her knees several feet away, the boy curled protectively in one arm.

"Go," the acrobat whispered to the petrified boy, who fled the room without a second thought.

Mouth tight, Azula glared at her friend and contemplated shooting a blast of fire at the circus performer. Slowly, she lowered her arm to her side. "If you _ever_ countermand me again, Ty Lee-" Her lips lifted in a horrific smile. "- I'll kill you myself. Consider this warning an act of friendship." With that, she turned her back, dismissing the girl, who left with a crash of the door.

A long moment of silence followed.

"I'm returning to New Ozai," Mai said dispassionately, studying her fingernails from the couch she still sat on. "My father sent me a message recalling me for an audience. I'll be back within a week."

Azula waved a dismissive hand. "Do what you want."

"It's about my birthday." Mai stood. "I assume it's because I'll be of marriageable age in a few days."

Amber eyes glinted. "Yes, I'd forgotten this is your sixteenth birthday. Now that my dear brother is out of the question, I'd assume your father wants to discuss other acceptable options." She turned in Mai's direction. "Don't you feel useful?" Her gaze sharpened with knowledge. "You know, Mai," she drawled, "if you stayed at my side and helped me gain the crown, you could determine your own fate." At the slight shift in her friend's weight, she pressed on. "Should something happen to my father when the Avatar attacks, I would be Fire Lord."

"And?"

"And I think you deserve more than a marriage to someone who's inferior to you in both skill and standing." Azula smiled slowly. "But if you're content to be married off…"

Mai studied her friend's face and nodded once. "I'll be back in a week." Her tone was decisive.

* * *

"Fine." Zuko wrung as much water as possible from his tunic top without taking it off. Now that she'd stopped attacking him for the moment, he was afraid breaking eye contact to drag the shirt over his head would give her all the opportunity she'd need to try to drown him again. "Fine, I admit it. The inspiration for my fire lashes was your water thing."

Anger seemed to shimmer around her. "Water whips!" she snarled. "And inspiration, my little brown behind! You stole it, plain and simple. Just admit it already!" She snaked another thin stream of water at him, forcing him back a step.

Zuko wanted to knock her on her so-called little brown butt and yell at her until his throat ached. Instead, he took the largest breath he could and tried again to calm himself. Who cared if he mimicked her water whips? Imitation was flattering after all, wasn't it? No, he thought with a scowl, she was just pissed because it was him. She'd think it was cute from anyone else. "My uncle created a new firebending technique that redirects lightning by watching waterbenders. Does that drive you nuts, too, or are you just mad because it's me?"

She clenched her fists and glared at him. "Well, I'm sure General Iroh created his move to save lives, not to fight, so there's no reason to be angry. He seems like a very nice, honorable man." Her blue eyes sizzled. "Unlike the rest of his family." Her words were bitter and spiteful, and she was sorry the instant they left her lips. "Zuko-" She threw the water hovering around her back into the spring with a loud splash and moved forward, one beseeching hand held out to him. "I didn't mean that."

Backing up another step because he wanted nothing more than to close the distance between them and strangle her, Zuko folded his arms stiffly. "No, you meant every word. The reason you're so angry is because it's me, not because the move is based off yours."

"Ugh!" She threw her own hands in the air. "Wouldn't you be mad if someone attacked you with your own signature move, Zuko?" Her voice pitched higher with every exasperated word. "You tried to kill me below Ba Sing Se, your sister almost killed Aang, and… and you're a terrible person!"

He couldn't stomach another word. Marching forward, Zuko decided that he was going to shake the crazy grudge right out of her. "I never tried to kill you! Besides, I just saved you, didn't I?"

Katara held her ground as the grim-looking Fire Prince advanced, his fingers clenching and unclenching at his sides. "Because you had some Sending, not because you wanted to!"

His fingers wrapped around her upper arms and began to tighten without conscious thought. Zuko was too busy scowling down into blue eyes that snapped with anger and defiance. "How could I want to save you if I didn't even know you were there?" he shouted incredulously in her face, trying to keep his breath from heating with his anger.

"Are you saying that you would have come for me if you'd known I was there?" Katara retorted, pulling up water with her fingers, freezing it, and raking it across his arms until he released her.

The ten perfect claw marks that striped his arms brought a measure of control back to Zuko. Drawing in a deep breath, he relaxed his stance. "Yes. Whatever else I am, and all the dishonorable things I've done, I wouldn't have let you be tortured if I'd known."

The words, so quietly spoken in the aftermath of their shouting match, were like a tub of icy water dumped over her head. Katara winced; no, even at his worst, Zuko was obsessed with honor. Leaving her to be tortured wasn't something she thought him capable of either. Her face softened. "Zuko?" When his golden eyes landed on her, she slowly raised a hand and laid it on his arm. "I shouldn't have…" She trailed off, shame-faced. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. You can use my move." Straightening suddenly, she poked him sharply in the chest. "But if you ever turn it on Aang or any of our friends, I'll freeze the ears right off your head, spirits help me."

Zuko nodded, holding her gaze. This felt like a moment of reckoning beyond the paltry little fight they'd just had. "Thank you," he said solemnly. Lips twitching, he added, "Ear."

"What?" Despite her proximity to him, Katara took a small step closer. She must have misheard.

He pointed to his scarred ear. "This thing doesn't count as an ear anymore."

Katara stared at him, wide-eyed. Zuko's scar was just a part of him, like her hair loopies were a part of her. She never stopped to consider how it affected him beyond the emotions he'd shown her in the Crystal Catacombs. "Does it… work?" she asked, voice wavering slightly.

Nodding, Zuko raised a hand to his scar. He felt like he owed her something, some small insight into himself to show her how much he'd realized in the last few days. "I can hear fine," he assured her. "It's just really ugly- just a big misshapen piece of flesh. Maybe I should let you freeze it off so people don't have to look at it anymore."

His raspy voice dragged at her, and again Katara felt a wave of shame. He'd saved her at enormous personal risk and was once again telling her something she got the feeling he'd never voiced to another person. Impulsively, she cupped her right hand over the scarred ear in question. "It's not ugly." Katara felt her voice strengthen when his eyes flared. "It's not. When I see you, Zuko, the scar really is just part of you. It's not gross or hideous or anything else you think it is."

Zuko froze, eyes wide, when her hand settled around his ear. No one had ever had the audacity to reach out and touch his deformity before; at least, he had never allowed anyone to complete the motion. This was twice now Katara had touched his mark of shame, and it was the second time he'd seen nothing but honesty and compassion in her eyes. No horror, no pity, no morbid fascination. Like a coyote-terrier that had been kicked all its life, he wasn't sure what to do with a gentle hand. He took a quick step away from her and watched as she let her hand fall with something like understanding in her blue eyes. "I should go scout the area for patrols before we leave."

Katara wasn't sure exactly when in their argument she'd decided that she'd bring Zuko to meet up with Sokka and Toph, but she realized suddenly that the decision was made. Spirits help her, but she believed him. If he could convince her brother and the little earthbender too, Katara realized she was looking at Aang's firebending teacher. "I'll do it," she offered generously. "I wanted to get out and stretch my legs anyway. This will be a good opportunity."

"No." His stubborn tone was unmistakable in his own mind, as was his forbidding stare, but the waterbender simply scoffed and walked around him to the packs, where she'd left her shoes. "I said no," he repeated insistently. "You're still too weak."

Stiffening, Katara glared at him over her shoulder, the shoes in her hand momentarily forgotten. Who had died and designated _him_ Sokka's replacement? For that matter, who said girls were less capable than boys? "There's a river a hundred yards from this cave, Zuko, and I'm a waterbending master. Believe me- I can take care of myself."

He followed her to the packs, pulling out his outer tunic and yanking it over his head, covering up the scratches she'd left on his arms a few minutes earlier. The damned things stung, but he was too annoyed with her to worry about them at the moment. "I know the area and won't get lost." Spirits! Didn't she ever give an inch on anything?

"I've traveled the world over and can track a snow goose through a blizzard. Besides, cliff face by the river? Not too hard to find." Katara fumed as he narrowed his eyes at her and began walking towards the cave mouth. Clutching the shoes, she hurried after him.

Zuko figured that it was better to just go scout the area and let her yell at him later. He readjusted his stolen uniform. "If anyone sees me, I'll be mistaken for a soldier on a roving patrol."

Hopping on one foot, Katara hurriedly pulled on one shoe. "You don't have a facemask, Zuko." Sliding on the other shoe, she darted in front of him, forcing him to a sudden halt. She brushed at the long skirts of her outfit. "I'm wearing Healer robes, which gives me a good reason to be in the forest gathering herbs."

With a long-suffering sigh, Zuko ran a weary hand down his face. "Do you argue over every little thing on the planet?" He waved off her reply. "No, forget it. Besides, you're not wearing a Healer's headscarf, which is as big a giveaway as a soldier without a faceplate."

They glared at one another for a long moment.

Katara bit her lip. "So, both of us?"

"Yeah," he responded with a shrug. "That's what I was thinking, too."

* * *

Hu effortlessly juggled the tray as he pulled the ring of keys from his belt and opened the door to the deepest section of the prison cells below the palace. Pushing open the heavy door with a broad shoulder, he made his way down the hall to the only occupied cell.

"Your dinner," he announced simply, pushing the tray through the small slot in the bars.

Iroh was sitting in the very back of his cell on the thin mat, comfortably settled in a meditation pose. Opening his eyes slowly, he nodded pleasantly. "Thank you, Corporal Hu. It smells very good."

The guard nodded uncomfortably. It was only a bowl of rice and a small pot of tea, but he knew he was taking a risk even including the tea. The Warden's orders had been specific regarding the Dragon of the West- rice or gruel and water only, and only two meals a day. He stood and watched silently as the old man carefully and deliberately ate the small bowl of rice before lifting the lid of the teapot and inhaling appreciatively.

"Ginseng," Iroh murmured with a small smile. "Again, thank you."

Hu grimaced. His son had brought him the tray from the kitchens, and he wondered again at the small burn mark on the boy's face. Muji, however, had refused to tell him where he'd gotten the burn, a fact that Hu intended to rectify as soon as his shift was over. It wasn't from school- the boy didn't attend for the simple fact that Hu couldn't afford the entrance fee. He wasn't a bender, and with his palace duties, the child had no time to play with friends, so it hadn't been acquired that way. Perhaps Kiyako, his mother, would know.

When Iroh had finished the tea, Hu quietly accepted the pot, placed it on his own dinner tray, and passed through the small glass of water he'd set aside. "I've been given evening detail this month, General Iroh," he said quietly. "When possible, I'll see if I can get you more tea."

The old man smiled warmly at him. "You are a good and kind man, Corporal. May Agni smile on you."

The squeak of the hallway door opening again diverted the guard's attention, and he quickly snapped to attention. "Your Highness," he barked. "I did not know you'd be coming tonight. I would have better prepared if I had. Forgive me." He bowed deeply and stayed that way until the Fire Lord bade him rise.

"Guards are not privy to my schedule," Ozai snapped. He waved at the man. "Dismissed. You may wait outside the door for my return."

Hu bowed again. "Of course, your Highness." Thanking the spirits that the Fire Lord had not arrived while Iroh had the teapot, Hu marched smartly down the hall.

"Ah, brother," Ozai said genially. "You seem a bit more unkempt these days. You really should do something about that." He grinned darkly. It warmed his heart to see his holier-than-thou brother straggly and covered in grime and his own sweat. It served the self-righteous bastard right.

Iroh acknowledged Ozai with a nod, but otherwise didn't move from his cross-legged position. "It is a long walk from the throne room to this cell for some simple belittling, Ozai. State your business."

Ozai's golden eyes flared and his mouth trembled. How dare he? "I am Fire Lord, Iroh, not you. NEVER presume to give me an order, is that understood?" The urge to shoot a fireball through the metal cell at his brother made his fingers twitch, but with effort, Ozai settled himself. No, he had plans for Iroh.

"Or what, little brother? By keeping me here for so long, you have shown two things. One, that you will not kill me, and two, you will not have me tortured." Iroh held his brother's gaze, no emotions showing in his own eyes. Ozai was planning something, that much was obvious.

"No," Ozai agreed, suddenly calm again. "You are correct, Iroh. I have much grander plans for you than a quick death in a cell. You are more-" He paused thoughtfully. "-Useful to me alive at the moment." His lips quirked with dark humor. "Bait is better alive, isn't it?"

Iroh watched his brother move gracefully back down the hallway with a small frown.

* * *

That night, Katara fell asleep quickly. Now that she and Zuko had reached some sort of agreement and had laid out their plans to leave in the morning, the unsettled feeling in her stomach began to dissipate. In a few days at most, she would be reunited with her family and the others setting up the assault and would be back on the active path she'd traveled for so long. The interminable waiting in this little area with Zuko had been almost surreal in its strangeness.

Her dreams were pleasant, full of memories of the good times with Sokka, Aang and Toph, and she suddenly found herself reliving the afternoon they'd spent jumping from Appa into the peaceful cove on the western edge of the Earth Kingdom. Sokka's splash bombs had had the others in fits of giggles as he had soaked an angrily chattering Momo.

Toph had flatly refused to partake until Aang and Katara swore to help her learn how to swim, and within the hour she'd been happily dogpaddling in small circles on her own shouting to everyone to watch her progress.

Aang had taken Katara up on the glider, way up high, and she remembered wondering if the fluttering in the pit of her stomach was just from the feeling of flying. She'd laughingly let go at one point, plummeting back towards the water at breakneck speed, snorting happily at the shocked look on Sokka's face as she'd waterbended a great plume of water up to meet her, gently catching her and letting her do a splash bomb that soaked everyone. Surfacing, she'd laughed until she had to climb on Appa because she was giggling too hard to swim.

In her dream, she went up on the glider again, telling Aang to go higher, take them farther until she could see the wisps of the low-hanging clouds. Letting go again with a shout for him to keep going, she dove for the water. Halfway to the surface, she raised her arms in a sweeping arc, expecting the water to rise again to catch her.

It didn't.

With a feeling of dread, she whipped her arms around harder, commanding the water to move up to her and when it didn't, she began to flail frantically.

_Why wasn't it coming?_

Her heart pounded frenetically and her breath froze in her lungs. Aang was nowhere to be seen and the terror-stricken look on her brother's face pierced her. Without bending, she'd never survive a fall from this height.

Katara shrieked and tried one last time to bend the water.

Zuko came awake with a jerk of surprise as the waterbender shouted and began to twist and flail in her blanket. Jumping to his feet, he hurried to her side. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. When she made no sign of hearing him, he hesitantly touched her shoulder and had to jump back to avoid being smacked with one wildly swinging arm. "Katara?"

_Why won't it come to me?_ She thought in terror, brushing at the turkey-gull that buzzed around her.

Not knowing what else to do, Zuko dropped to a knee, dodged another swipe of her arm and pinned her shoulders to the ground. She was surprisingly strong, twisting and bucking in her attempt to throw him off. "Katara!"

Her eyes snapped open. Zuko's scarred face hovered over her, his fingers digging hard into her shoulders. He looked worried. "Get off me!" she snapped, suddenly embarrassed.

He withdrew as if she'd slapped him. "You were dreaming," he rasped, moving back to sit on his haunches. "You were having a nightmare. I was just trying to wake you."

With a wave of shame, Katara pushed herself up with one shaking arm so that she faced the hunched shadow that was Zuko in the gloom of night. They sat that way for a few seconds before she offered sheepishly, "Thanks."

"Yeah." After another long pause, Zuko decided to add, "I get the whole nightmare thing, waterbender. I imagine I'd wake up screaming too if my sister tortured me."

Katara jerked. "No, it wasn't that," she replied hurriedly. "It was…" She felt ridiculous now. "It was just that my bending didn't work. I was falling into the water from really high and suddenly it wouldn't work and I knew I was going to die." She gulped.

He nodded solemnly, forgetting she couldn't see him well in the darkness.

"What were your nightmares about, Zuko?"

Shock snapped through him. Who asked someone they barely knew a question like that? But she sounded so vulnerable, so cowed, that he found he didn't have the heart to tell her to mind her own damn business. "Uncle," he responded slowly, rolling the word around in his mouth. "They always started with my uncle accusing me of betrayal. Some nights I would watch as he was beheaded by the Palace guards in front of a cheering crowd. Others it was my father who killed him, setting him on fire like a sick torch." Zuko swallowed hard. "Sometimes it was me that killed him, and then I'd realize my mother was there, in the crowd, and when I found her, she spit in my face."

Katara hummed encouragingly in her throat and tried to hold back the hand she was slowly extending in his direction. She failed.

When cool fingers brushed against his knee, Zuko startled, drawing back from them. "The dreams always started that way and would change into nonsense, scary nonsense about dragons and the Avatar and… my scar. Other than the Sending from my uncle, that's all I've seen when I closed my eyes since I returned home."

Silence spun out as each of them sat that way, Zuko huddled with his chin on his drawn up knees and Katara with one hand lying on the ground by his foot.

"Your uncle is a good man, Zuko," she said finally in a quiet voice. "And you have plenty of reason for feeling guilty for betraying him- for betraying everyone." When he growled and made to climb to his feet, she leaned farther out and wrapped a hand around his wrist. "Just listen," she huffed. "If what you say about Sendings is true, then General Iroh bargained with the spirits to speak to you in your dreams. He clearly hasn't given up on you, so you can't give up on yourself. Don't let these nightmares take over."

Her fingers on him practically burned, they were so cold. Zuko let the icy pain clear his head of the memories of those awful dreams. "I haven't," he sighed, sinking back to the ground. Admitting the next part felt awkward. "I haven't dreamed anything like that since I saved you." Spirits, he sounded weak. Zuko cleared his throat. "Taking destiny into my own hands must have helped."

Nodding, Katara fought down a smile at the shy, embarrassed tone of the firebender. Between Sokka and Aang, she knew just what a wounded male ego sounded like. An idea hit her. "We could break him out."

"What?"

Nodding again vigorously, Katara pushed off her blanket and clambered to her knees, facing him. The idea sent a stream of excitement bubbling through her. "Yeah, we can save Iroh, bust him out of prison. When we catch up with Sokka and Dad and everyone, we can readjust the plans to include him." She reached for both of his stunned hands in her excitement, swinging them wildly. "Oh, Zuko, this is a great idea!"

This girl was crazy. Pure, old-fashioned bat-snake shit crazy. "He's in the prison below the palace," he told her slowly in a voice that said clearly that she was an idiot. "Breaking him out would be as simple as stopping the sun from rising every morning."

"Well, he would be a strategic asset," Katara mused aloud, only hearing his disbelieving voice peripherally. "Having him around would be like getting a firebending master for Aang and an inside source on Fire Nation tactics and techniques all in one. I'm sure Dad would go for it, and Sokka would want to save him anyway after what happened in Ba Sing Se." She turned her eyes to Zuko, suddenly excited. "What do you think?"

"I think you're insane." His voice was thick with disbelief. "Absolutely crazy." The warm thought of helping his uncle snaked through Zuko's belly and he unconsciously squeezed one of the waterbender's hands that he hadn't realized he was still gripping. "But I want to try anyway."

* * *

General Cheng sat back against the pillows, savoring the delicate flavor of the tea in his hand. It was a pricey mixture that he favored, both for the taste and the distinction of saying that he drank the rare tea. "I've found something," he said with a glance at his visitor, who sat across the low couch from him. "Despite the glut of amateurs the Fire Lord has set on this, I've managed to inquire into the matter, using my own accumulated knowledge to hunt out the truth."

"Which is?" The voice prompting him was dry and even.

"The guard –the one Prince Zuko killed- was found out of uniform. The sergeant of the guard failed to divulge this information in his other interviews because he thought the man had again tried to…" The general glanced at his companion uncertainly. The deceased guard's penchant for violent rape was legendary, but his guest was neither a soldier nor a male. Such topics were not meant for feminine ears. "He thought the guard had tried to take advantage of another servant and been killed in the attempt by Prince Zuko. The boy always did have an inflated sense of justice."

Pale hands twitched. "And the point of this is…?"

Cheng reached for a delicate fruit tart from the platter between them on the low wooden table. "When I found out, I discreetly had the Palace Keeper inventory all uniforms on hand. A set of Healer's robes have also vanished." He smiled, the hard glint in his eyes turning them a strange dull yellow. "It's my opinion that the prince and his female friend have left the Palace as a soldier and a Healer. If that's true, they went one of two places: either to the markets in the city on the pretense of buying stocks or down to the forest to collect herbs. Either way, someone will have seen them."

The two sat and looked at one another for several long minutes, neither feeling compelled to break the silence. Finally, Cheng passed his guest a fruit tart. "Speak to no one but me in regards to this matter. If we locate them, the political rewards heaped on us will be unparalleled." His eyes flickered victoriously. "No more kowtowing at the feet of unstable and cruel rulers who would only destroy one another with their machinations. We can set a new bloodline on the throne, one with both intelligence and the ability to rule."

"Yes, Uncle." Mai accepted the pastry and nodded slowly. In this, at least, it seemed her uncle had the right of things. She would set out in the morning.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: So, clearly when I say next week, I mean next year. :P I believe the phrase I'm looking for is "author FAIL."

* * *

Having calluses on her feet thick enough to qualify as a layer of the earth's crust was something any earthbender would value, but it wasn't until Toph began travelling with the Avatar that she _really_ began to appreciate them. After miles and miles of hiking, while the others pissed and moaned about their poor, tender feet and the blisters that plagued them, Toph would lounge easily on a rock and smile. It wasn't like she didn't feel for them or anything- just that she was so, so glad she was literally made of tougher stuff. Blisters must _suck_.

"Oh, my feet," Sokka wailed for the thirty-sixth time. "I can't wait to get these boots off!" He peered up at the overcast sky. "It should only be another couple of miles to the next camp- maybe Katara will be at _that_ one."

Toph smirked to herself. She couldn't _see_ the sky, but she could always tell the weather, feel the pressure of an incoming rainstorm or the change in wind temperature that preceded a clearing sky. Even the quality of the light was tangible. The edges of her 'vision' from the earth's vibration became crystal clear on a bright, sunny day, and just a little hazy around things when it was cloudy. So to see Sokka peering up at a sky that left everything fuzzy in her vision was hilarious, because she knew good and damned well there was nothing to navigate or tell time up there by other than fat, ominous clouds. "Which direction now, Captain Boomerang?"

He paused, looking left and right before sneaking a furtive glance up at the sky. Stupid clouds- he had no idea, other than to use the camp they'd left behind hours ago as a rough directional. "Straight?" He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I mean straight. Just a couple more miles."

The smirk widened as she asked innocently, "It was supposed to be ten miles on a north-northeast line, right?"

"Yep." Sokka adjusted his pack and curled his toes inside his damp boots. Stupid blisters. He couldn't wait to settle down, light a fire, and dry himself out. "This way, Toph."

"Are you sure?"

Sokka frowned. Toph had her 'I'm too innocent to be laughing at you' smirk on, and it was at full power. "Look, I've spent my whole life hunting and tracking and, you know, doing this stuff. If you don't trust me, _you_ tell _me_ where we're supposed to be going, oh Master Tracker."

She turned her head in the direction of her companion, who was huffily stomping away from her- on a due north course from the camp she could distantly feel behind them. "Was it something I said?" she called after him with a too-sweet lilt to her voice. Toph grinned to herself and followed the cursing Sokka. She'd wait until he calmed down to tell him he was headed in the wrong direction- the correction was sure to provide her with another hour of amusement at his expense. After all- her feet were doing _just fine_.

* * *

For the fourth time in as many minutes, Tom Tom tried to climb into her lap. "Up," he demanded in his toddler's voice, a happy smile on his face.

Mai grimaced lightly, shifting her leg as he once again attempted to haul himself up by her pants. "Mother," she sighed, arching an eyebrow.

Jian Ling curled an easy arm around her young son, drawing him onto her own lap, where he curled up and studied his sister. "I wish you would exhibit more enthusiasm for the arts of home and family, Mai." Her voice, cultured and genteel, nevertheless managed to convey disappointment. "You are a beautiful, intelligent, well-bred young lady with an unlimited potential for advancement. Why you insist on treating your prospects with such disdain is entirely beyond my comprehension and, dare I say, likely beyond Prince Zuko's."

Oh, now that was low, even for her vapid mother. "I've told you, Mother. Zuko has defected and been rebranded a traitor. I'm well rid of any attachment to his name."

Waving a hand lightly, Jian Ling absently broke off a piece of her lychee tart and fed it to Tom Tom, who squealed in delight. Much like his sister at his age, he had an insatiable appetite for fruit tarts of any and all varieties. "Zuko is not the only option, Mai. I'm sure you know why your father summoned you home."

A sharp nod was the best Mai could do. How utterly predictable. "Which venerable family does Father have in his sights now? The Chengs? The Shius? Or maybe some petty former Earth Kingdom princeling that he wants to quell peasant revolts?" A trace of her true feelings bled into the final words.

This argument was not new territory for mother and daughter, and while she could appreciate her daughter's feelings, wealthy Fire Nation women were bred for politics and advancement, not love matches. She had never pretended otherwise with Mai, and her mild rebellion now surprised Jian Ling to no end. "Your father has gone to great lengths to identify ideal suitors, Mai- none too old, or cruel, or stupid. In that, you are spirits-blessed. Many fathers would sell you to the highest bidder, or the one with the best connections, not worry over whether the future groom is well-suited to his daughter's likes and temperament."

The urge to fling her glass of lemon-beet juice to the floor in a fit of pique was tempting, but Mai merely lifted it for a measured sip. "I understand, mother, but I disagree. Given the shifting state of Fire Nation politics these days, delaying a marriage contract would be far more logical. We wouldn't want to align ourselves with a family that might bring future disgrace, would we?"

Humming in agreement, Jian Ling made an exasperated gesture with a well-manicured hand. "Your father makes these decisions, Mai. You are fully aware of that, but if you want to broach the topic with him, do so with my blessing. I only want your happiness, daughter."

If that were true, Mai thought as she rose to leave, shaking out her overskirt, I wouldn't be treated like a particularly plump moose-mare at auction, and you would do more than offer me empty platitudes, Mother. Silently, she exited her mother's solar and headed for the back staircase to the training grounds. She needed to fling daggers and needles at targets for some time before she'd be calm enough to speak with her father. Somehow, though, she knew she'd get no farther with him. They were bound and determined to marry her off and get rid of her. After all, she'd never been the saccharine and shiny daughter they'd wanted, and now they had another child to fawn over. She was nothing more than a failed experiment, something to clear out to make room for the new.

* * *

Ozai sat on the raised dais behind the Screen of Eternal Flame, legs folded gracefully beneath him as the daily audience wound down. How he despised these peasants, kowtowing and groveling before him to resolve their petty, worthless problems. Vermin, the lot of them.

His fingers itched with the urge to shoot flames at the particularly irksome old crone kneeling before him, her shrill voice scratching across his senses. He would be having words with his steward later about this ridiculous farce- he was the Fire Lord. His people would respect him without the tiresome daily sessions, and if they didn't… then they would fear him. Amusement traced a smile on his mouth and turned his eyes a molten shade of gold. He'd always found fear more reliable than veneration and love, anyway. Electricity crackled at his fingertips, begging to be loosed. "Silence!" he intoned, knowing the imposing figure he cut from the shadows and flames of his throne.

The old woman raised her wizened face to the Throne of Eternal Flame. The Fire Lord's judgment was the final authority of the land, and if anyone could force her vicious neighbor to return the animals he had stolen, it was the Fire Lord. She had made her case, presented her evidence and several witnesses, and was confident in his anticipated verdict.

"Denied," Ozai said clearly, without even a shred of conflict over issuing a verdict without having paid the slightest attention to the petitioner or her tedious arguments. Let the fates decide. There was a fifty percent chance his verdict was the one she had sought.

Tears obscured the crone's already failing sight as a palace guard ushered her unceremoniously from the throne room. Without those fire chickens and panda-cows, she'd have no way to provide for her grandchildren past what she'd stored for the monsoon season.

Azula's eyes observed all of this carefully from the shadows of a hiding space she'd occupied as a child, though her poisoned honey eyes held no more compassion than her sire's. His verdict, in many ways, made her plan more achievable- after all, a heartless ruler was always easier to depose and replace than a beloved one. And coups… well, coups were best executed by the tactically and strategically gifted.

A sentiment another occupant of the throne room shared whole-heartedly.

* * *

Oh, La, her feet hurt.

Katara grimaced, gave her small pack another absent heave that never actually seemed to shift the weight or lessen the infernal ache between her shoulder blades, and trudged on. Zuko was leading the way, and had been since they'd left their little hideout at dawn, but he seemed to never tire, never stumble or feel the weight of his much larger pack. That, for some reason, annoyed the spit out of her. Katara stuck her tongue out at the erstwhile Fire Prince's back and felt better for the childish act.

Glancing up at the sky, she gave a gusty sigh. The clouds that had begun as a misty haze had thickened and were threatening rain. If the humidity that had been settling over them like a wet blanket was any indication, that rain would be falling within the day, and Katara sent up a desperate wish that they'd be settled at her nearest camp by then. Despite her healing sessions, her endurance seemed to have disappeared without a trace.

In what she was certain was a horrid joke by the spirits, a fat drop of water landed on her head and trickled down behind her ear. It was quickly followed by another, and then several more after that. Oh, great. The skies, without further warning, opened up, and a deluge began to fall.

The spirits were clearly laughing at her.

* * *

Zuko stopped for a moment, closed his eyes, and used his _chi_ to locate the sun behind the impenetrable wall of rainclouds. He nodded in satisfaction. Without a visual of the sun in the sky, it was much more difficult to keep them on the strict west-southwest route that Katara had identified as the most direct path to one of her secret camps. "We're about three miles out, I think," he rumbled, swiping a hand across his nose to stop the infernal rain that dripped off it like water torture.

"You _think_?" Katara whined behind him. She was soaked to the skin, and the pack had started feeling like a boulder on her back about an hour earlier. She was so ready to make that camp. "You can track Aang halfway around the world, but you're not sure how much farther it is?"

Wincing at the strident complaint, Zuko stopped and turned to face his very waterlogged companion, trying to keep the amused smile off his lips at her appearance. She looked like a wet ferret-cat, all streamers of sodden hair straggling around a thoroughly annoyed face. He wanted to know why she hadn't tied it back in that braid thing she'd worn when he first met her, but was afraid to ask. Pissing off a waterbender in the early stages of a monsoon was lethally stupid.

"Well?" she demanded. He was just standing there, dripping, blocking the path, and trying not to laugh at her, which just made her even more annoyed with him.

"I'm doing the best I can. Until we hit the Gwa River, I can't know for certain exactly where we are in relation to your camp." He swept a hand around impatiently. "In case you hadn't noticed, navigating through this mess is a little difficult." Yeah, a little difficult. Like she was being a little pissy. Understatement city.

It wasn't really his fault- she knew that, but she needed something to vent on, and there stood Zuko with a giant proverbial target pinned to his pale chest. "Well, try harder."

He snorted- he just couldn't help it. "Yes, mistress. Zuko will do his best to please her Highness."

"Ugh!" She lurched forward, sweeping past him to take the lead. They were going to make that camp in the next hour if she had to waterbend his annoying ass the entire way there. She stopped suddenly, sending Zuko careening into her back. "That way, right?" she asked sheepishly. After all, it wouldn't do to storm off in the wrong direction.

Nodding, Zuko bit back his grin until she'd turned around and stomped a few feet away down the poor excuse for a path they were following- more like a gecko-goat trail. Say what you would about the waterbender, at least she was interesting. For the sake of his continued good health, he really hoped he'd been as accurate in his directions as he thought.

* * *

Hu was incensed. What the princess had done to his son was unacceptable, and if not for the intervention of that acrobat girl, Muji would be scarred and he'd likely be executed for high treason. The keys attached to his sword belt rattled, and his hands clenched. If he hadn't wanted to free Iroh and topple the Fire Lord's family from power before, he sure as the spirit world did now.

"Good morning, Corporal Hu," Iroh said solemnly as he came down the hall.

The old man seemed different, like he'd been sick. He'd lost weight, that much was clear, and there was a light sheen of perspiration on his face. "Good morning, General Iroh. Are you feeling okay?"

Iroh smiled mysteriously. "I suppose that depends on if you're speaking of the body or the soul. An old man has many aches." He accepted the cup of tea Hu passed him through the bars with murmured thanks. "But yes, I'm feeling well enough." As he drew a long sip from the cup, his eyes roved over the guard. "I do not mean to pry, corporal, but I am curious. Why do you treat an old man, a high traitor, with such regard? I have never met you, nor met any of your family, and I would think my brother would have taken great care in choosing guards for me that are well known for their prowess and loyalty to the House of Agni."

Ah- he'd thought the Dragon of the West would bring this up one day. Given the events of the previous day, his rage over Princess Azula's treatment of a mere child, the decision to share his story was made with little conflict. "I have been a corporal for many years now- though I am a loyal soldier, I do not have the gift of politics that my superiors do. I have always been little more than a talented warrior." He smiled grimly. "Years ago, I was on the front lines of the Battle of Ba Sing Se- not a part of your army, of course. General Hao was my commanding officer."

"A fine soldier himself," Iroh replied solemnly. "His death was an unfortunate loss."

Hu nodded- the general had been a strict, but good, leader. "My unit was the one that encountered the Dai Li ambush beyond the southern wall." His eyes glazed over, battles of a day long past haunting him, screams rising from the ashy graves of memory. "I was injured- gravely injured, and was taken to the rear guard for the physicians to attend to. They said I was going to die- that I'd lost too much blood, and I was left on a cot in an unattended tent with other soldiers in similar circumstances."

Iroh set the cup down and gave the guard his full attention. Such memories could injure as fatally as the wounds that first damaged them. "War is a terrible mistress."

"Yes." Mechanically, Hu passed the old general his bowl of rice. "Many were unconscious. Many more had wounds so fearsome that it was hard to identify them as men, and above everything lay the stench of death." He drew in a shuddering breath. "But some of us were alive enough to moan or cry or just try to talk to anyone who would listen- a last grasp at passing on thoughts and love and memories that would otherwise leave with our souls as we passed. Those that could still move tried to comfort the ones that couldn't." His brown eyes shimmered. "There was one that came to me. His name was Lu Ten."

There was no hiding the sharp intake of breath- Iroh stared at his jailor. "You knew my son?" he whispered, his own eyes filling.

"Only for the space of an hour." Haunted eyes met haunted eyes, spirits of the dead flittering around them. "He listened to me, and tried to comfort me despite the horrors of his own wounds. He swore that if he lived, he would see that my words made it back to my family." Hu's voice caught in his suddenly tight throat. "I passed out from the pain and… and when I woke, he was gone." Twin tears trickled down his cheeks into his beard. "He had passed to the Spirit World, still holding my hand. Still trying to comfort a fellow man."

The words brought joy -and sorrow- to Iroh's heart. His beautiful boy. How he missed him so. He made no effort to hide his own tears.

"I recovered, to the shock of the field physicians. They'd come to clear out the dead, to make more space for the soon-to-be dead, and found me. The only one still alive in my tent. The surgeon said that if I had made it two days on my own, then I would probably recover." He stared at the wall, his eyes seeing not stones and mortar, but a scene long past. "I've never spoken of that tent before, General Iroh. The departed deserve their peace, and their dignity, two things that we were not given in an abandoned tent of death. Two things your son gave to me."

Silence reigned for a very long time as two old soldiers thought of their fallen comrades and friends and family.

* * *

Aang woke with tears on his cheeks.

He'd flown as long as he could before landing Appa on a rocky barrier island- he was either in Fire Nation territory now, or very close to it. Deciding last night that it was far better for them both to be fully rested, he'd gathered grass for Appa and curled up next to his friend, falling asleep to the soothing rumble of the sky bison's chest.

He hated being alone -sure, he had Appa and Momo with him, and Appa was his first and best friend, but the solitude echoed in his ears. He'd become used to having a loud, boisterous family of friends around him, always. He missed Sokka's crazy schedules and his bad jokes, missed Toph's good-natured teasing, Katara's constant hovering. He'd always appreciated them, but it wasn't until they were gone that he realized just how central they'd become.

The sky overhead was threatening to open up, heavy grey clouds bearing down on everything. "I know how you feel," Aang said softly, climbing to his feet.

With a soft _fwoop_, Momo landed on his shoulder and offered him a moon peach. "Thanks, buddy," he replied, worried eyes fixed on the western horizon and a ball of anxiety clenching in his belly.

* * *

Kuei was awake to greet the dawn. He'd woken to the fading stars and clambered out of his blanket with the vague idea of preparing breakfast.

It wasn't until he stood in the courtyard with a dozen banana onions and a chipped earthen bowl that he realized he had no idea how to get the juice from the fruits.

Bosco nudged his arm as if to say, "Get on with it!" and the little bird that had taken up residence in the hip pouch he'd made for it tittered sleepily.

He eyed the fruits with renewed resolve. He could figure this out.

Pathik watched with approval from afar.

* * *

"There!" Zuko stopped in the middle of the river, cold water swirling at his chest as he held his pack overhead to keep it dry. If he had a free hand, he'd have pointed, but had to make do with jerking his chin upstream. "Look, it's up there. Camp ho." His eyes gleamed with victory. "I told you I'd get us here."

Katara smirked at him from the near side of the river before raising her hands gracefully, drawing the water up and into an ice bridge that she stepped onto with aplomb. "Yeah- good job."

Zuko almost dropped his pack. "I… you… that's a… son of a whore!"

She leaned down over the side of the ice bridge and gave him a sweet smile. "What's wrong, Zuko? Damp? Wish you hadn't made that crack about what use a waterbender is if she won't keep the rain off you now?"

He scowled at her fiercely, chucked his pack at the opposite shore, and snaked out a quick hand to lock around her ankle.

"You wouldn't dare," she breathed, eyes wide.

He pulled, lips stretched wide with a smile. "Oh, I dare." The splutter she came up out of the water with made him feel just a little better.

Until she bent the water over his head in retaliation, of course.


End file.
